New Delhi\/Geneva: India has added a vibrant touch of cultural diplomacy on the world stage by gifting five young peacocks, including a rare white male, to the UN Office in Geneva. The striking gesture revives a tradition dating back to 1981 and places India\u2019s national bird at the heart of a unique chapter of India-UN ties. It also reflects India\u2019s historical, cultural and rich civilisational soft power.<\/p>\n
Glimpses from a special ceremony during which \ud83c\uddee\ud83c\uddf3 handed over five peacocks \ud83e\udd9a \u2013 India\u2019s national bird, in UN\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf3 colours to @UNGeneva.<\/p>\n
More \u2b07\ufe0fhttps:\/\/t.co\/tPx2UWZiQs,@MEAIndia @IndianDiplomacy @mygovindia @PIB_India @airnewsalerts pic.twitter.com\/8fBChVqBfB<\/p>\n
\u2014 India at UN, Geneva (@IndiaUNGeneva) August 8, 2026<\/p>\n
The five peafowls \u2014 four blue Indian peacocks and one rare white male arrived at Ariana Park, the sprawling grounds of the Palais des Nations, where they are temporarily housed in a spacious aviary before being allowed to roam freely across the estate.<\/p>\n
India has presented five young peacocks, four blue and one rare white, reflecting the UN\u2019s colours to the UN Office at Geneva.<\/p>\n
Indian envoy to Geneva Arindam Bagchi handed them over to Tatiana Valovaya, Director-General of UN Geneva, in a\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/gfZXNPj1GX<\/p>\n
The United Nations Geneva shared stunning visuals of the new arrivals on the X social media platform and captioned it as \u201c#PhotoOfTheWeek\u201d, describing India\u2019s gesture as \u201cbeautiful\u201d and noting that the tradition predates the UN itself. \u201cMove over, panda diplomacy,\u201d UN Geneva said in a post, welcoming the five young peacocks as the newest and \u201cmost dazzling diplomats\u201d in Geneva.<\/p>\n
#PhotoOfTheWeek: \ud83e\udd9a\ud83c\uddee\ud83c\uddf3 Five peacocks arrived the Ariana Park at UN Geneva, thanks to @IndiaUNGeneva: a beautiful gesture tied to India's national bird, continuing a century-old tradition.<\/p>\n
\u2014 United Nations Geneva (@UNGeneva) August 9, 2026<\/p>\n
The birds were formally presented by India\u2019s Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva, Ambassador Arindam Bagchi, to UN Geneva Director-General Tatiana Valovaya. Bagchi described the donation as a privilege for the Indian mission and highlighted the long-standing tradition of keeping peacocks at the UN complex.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is a tradition of having peacocks here. We have donated in 1981 and are delighted to be able to continue this tradition,\u201d Bagchi said. India\u2019s latest donation seeks to replenish the peafowl population, which had dwindled to just one surviving bird.<\/p>\n
Today, @IndiaUNGeneva gifted 5 peacocks \ud83e\udd9a to @ungeneva: a nod to India's national bird and to a tradition going back to the 19th century.<\/p>\n
Grateful to India for the newest members of the flock!<\/p>\n
\u2014 United Nations Geneva (@UNGeneva) August 7, 2026<\/p>\n