Dr Khalilur Rahman, a career diplomat, has been appointed Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus's ‘High Representative on Rohingya Problem and Priority Issues Affairs.' The Cabinet Division issued a gazette notification to this end today (Tuesday, November 19).

While holding the post of the high representative to the chief adviser, Dr Rahman will enjoy the status, salary, and allowances of an adviser to the interim government.

The notification will come into immediate effect.

Dr Khalilur Rahman joined the diplomatic service of Bangladesh in 1979 upon securing the first position in the first regular BCS examinations held in 1977. In the same year, he stood first in the first class in the MA examinations in Economics at Dhaka University. He served as an American Express International Bank executive from 1978-79.

Dr Rahman studied at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University and the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University during 1980-83, and earned the degrees of MA in Law and Diplomacy and PhD in Economics.

From 1983 to 85, he served at the South Asia Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and as the Private Secretary to the foreign minister.

1985, he was transferred to the Permanent Mission of Bangladesh to the United Nations in New York. He represented Bangladesh at the Economic and Financial Committee of the UN General Assembly. He acted as the spokesperson of the LDCs at this Committee and at the Economic and Social Council of the UN.

Dr Rahman joined the United Nations Secretariat in 1991 as a Special Adviser at the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in Geneva.

During the ensuing 25 years at the UN, he served in different senior positions in New York and Geneva, including as Head of Economic, Social, and Development Affairs at the Executive Office of the UN Secretary-General; Executive Secretary of the UN Secretary General's High-level Group on the Technology Bank; Head of UNCTAD Technology Division, Management Division, and Trade Policy Analysis; UNCTAD Bureau Chief at the UN headquarters; Chief of LDCs program at the UN secretariat; Chair of UN system interagency group on non-tariff barriers to international trade; and principal coordinator of the program on new and dynamic sectors of world trade.

He was a lead author of and substantive contributor to several UN flagship publications as well as numerous reports of the UN Secretary-General and the UNCTAD Secretary-General on issues of trade, finance and development.

He also edited several analytical series on international trade policy. In 2001, he drafted the Programme of Action of the Brussels LDC Conference, which adopted the historic duty—and quota-free treatment of LDCs' exports.

In 2001, Dr Rahman briefly returned to the government service to serve as private secretary to the late Justice Latifur Rahman, Chief Adviser of the third caretaker government.

Dr Rahman is a founder of the East West University in Dhaka and currently serves on its Board of Trustees.