United News of Bangladesh

Right to Freedom, a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing democracy and human rights worldwide, will host a memorial celebration of life honouring its Founding President, Ambassador William B. Milam, on Friday at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. The event will also be streamed live and recorded for those unable to attend in person. Ambassador Milam, who passed away earlier this year at the age of 89, dedicated seven decades to public service, scholarship, and the advancement of democratic values around the world. Born in Bisbee, Arizona, in 1936, he graduated from Stanford University in 1959 before beginning a distinguished career as a U.S. Foreign Service Officer. Over the course of his career, Ambassador Milam served in postings across Africa, Europe, and South Asia and was appointed U.S. Ambassador to Bangladesh in 1990 and later to Pakistan, where he served until his retirement in 2001. He led the U.S. delegation that negotiated the 1994 Desertification Treaty and worked extensively on issues of nuclear nonproliferation, economic development, and free and fair elections. Following the events of September 11, 2001, he was recalled to public service to help establish an economic reconstruction program for Afghanistan. In retirement, Ambassador Milam continued to write and research as a Senior Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson Center, and in 2010 published Bangladesh & Pakistan: Flirting with Failure in South Asia with Oxford University Press. He founded Right to Freedom, with Ambassador Mushfiqul Fazal Ansarey, an organization created to give voice to those who could not be heard in their own countries. "It is with hearts full of both grief and gratitude that we invite the public to join us in celebrating the extraordinary life of Ambassador William B. Milam," said Jon Danilowicz, President of Right to Freedom’s Board of Directors. "He was, to so many of us, more than a distinguished diplomat; he was a steady friend, a generous mentor, and a believer in the enduring power of freedom and dignity for all people." The memorial will bring together family, friends, colleagues, and admirers from around the world to share memories and reflect on Ambassador Milam's remarkable life and legacy, said a media release on Thursday.