United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has announced the appointment of Rabab Fatima of Bangladesh as High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States (UN-OHRLLS).
She is the current Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the United Nations in New York.
Rabab Fatima becomes the first female diplomat of the Bangladesh Foreign Service to be appointed as the UN under-secretary-general. She will also be the highest ranking person in the UN as a Bangladeshi citizen.
“Her appointment is a reflection of Bangladesh's close participation in the international arena and the acceptance of Bangladeshi professional diplomats,” said the Bangladesh Mission in the UN.
“I am grateful to the prime minister. She gave me this opportunity. She appointed me as the permanent representative of Bangladesh to the United Nations with confidence and trust in me," Rabab Fatima said in a reaction.
“Fatima brings to the position more than 30 years of experience in national and international civil service, encompassing bilateral and multilateral diplomacy, policymaking, advocacy, programme planning and implementation,” the UN said in a statement.
She succeeds Courtenay Rattray of Jamaica who was appointed as the Chef de Cabinet.
Prior to this position, Rabab Fatima was the Ambassador of Bangladesh to Japan (2016-2019), Director-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bangladesh (2015-2016), Regional Representative for South Asia (2007-2011) and Regional Adviser for South and South-West Asia and Regional Adviser for Climate Change and Migration (2012-2015) of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Geneva, and Head of Human Rights at the Commonwealth Secretariat, London (2006-2007).
Fatima joined Bangladesh’s diplomatic service in 1989 and served in various capacities in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in Bangladesh missions in New York, Kolkata, Geneva and Beijing.
She holds a master’s degree in international relations and diplomacy from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University, United States, and a bachelor’s degree in social science from the University of Canberra, Australia.
