Dr Khalilur Rahman has been appointed as the High Representative of Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus to address the Rohingya issue and other key priorities, according to a gazette notification issued Tuesday.

He will hold privileges equivalent to an adviser.

Dr Rahman began his diplomatic career in 1979 after topping the first regular BCS exams in 1977. That same year, he earned a first-class MA in Economics from Dhaka University and briefly worked at American Express International Bank before joining the Foreign Service.

He furthered his education at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University, and the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, earning an MA in Law and Diplomacy and a PhD in Economics.

His diplomatic tenure includes roles in Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Permanent Mission to the UN, and as Private Secretary to the Foreign Minister. He was a spokesperson for Least Developed Countries (LDCs) at the UN Economic and Financial Committee.

In 1991, Dr Rahman joined the UN Secretariat as Special Adviser at UNCTAD in Geneva. Over 25 years, he held senior positions in New York and Geneva, including Head of Economic, Social, and Development Affairs at the Executive Office of the UN Secretary-General, Chief of the LDCs Programme, and Chair of the UN Interagency Group on Non-Tariff Barriers to Trade.

He contributed significantly to flagship UN reports and played a key role in drafting the Programme of Action for the 2001 Brussels LDCs Conference, introducing duty- and quota-free access for LDC exports.

In 2001, he briefly served as Private Secretary to Justice Latifur Rahman, Chief Adviser of the caretaker government. A founding member of East West University in Dhaka, Dr Rahman continues to serve on its Board of Trustees.