Irene Khan appointed Bangladesh's envoy to UN with state minister rank

The government has granted the status of a state minister to newly appointed Bangladesh Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York, Irene Khan, an internationally renowned human rights activist.

The Cabinet Division today (8 July) issued a gazette notification stating that she will enjoy the status of a state minister and related facilities during her tenure.

Meanwhile, the government is likely to appoint Ambassador Salahuddin Noman Chowdhury, the current Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the United Nations in New York, as the next foreign secretary, officials in Dhaka told UNB.

Under the proposed reshuffle, current Foreign Secretary Asad Alam Siam is expected to be posted to New Delhi as Bangladesh's next high commissioner to India, one of the country's most significant diplomatic assignments. He is likely to replace incumbent High Commissioner Riaz Hamidullah.

Officials said Irene Khan has been serving as the UN special rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression since 1 August 2020, and is the first woman to hold the position since the mandate was established in 1993.

Irene served as secretary general of Amnesty International from 2001 to 2009.

An internationally recognised advocate for human rights, gender equality and social justice, she teaches at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva. She is also co-author of The Unheard Truth: Poverty and Human Rights, which has been published in seven languages.

Under her leadership, Amnesty International strengthened its work on political and civil rights, particularly in the context of counter-terrorism and armed conflict, while expanding its mandate to include economic, social and cultural rights.

The first woman to lead Amnesty International, Khan launched the organisation's first global campaign to end violence against women and girls.

From 2012 to 2019, she headed the International Development Law Organization (IDLO), the only intergovernmental organisation dedicated exclusively to promoting the rule of law and sustainable development.

In that role, she co-convened the UN Conference in Preparation for the Review of SDG 16 in 2019, the High-Level Group on Justice for Women in 2018, and the Conference on the Rule of Law in Africa in 2016.

She expanded programmes on access to justice and championed Sustainable Development Goal 16 on peace, justice, access to information and effective institutions.

As consulting editor of The Daily Star in Bangladesh from 2010 to 2011, Irene wrote on human rights, democracy and gender issues while supporting independent media.

She was a visiting professor at the State University of New York Law School in 2011 and served as chancellor of the University of Salford in the UK from 2009 to 2015.

Irene began her professional career with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), where she worked for 21 years at headquarters and in country operations, including as Chief of Mission in India and Deputy Director of the Division of International Protection.

She also collaborates with the Columbia Global Freedom of Expression programme, including as a member of the jury for the Global Freedom of Expression Awards.

Khan has served as a member of the World Bank Gender Advisory Council, the UNAIDS High-Level Panel on HIV Prevention and Human Rights, and the UN Global Compact Advisory Council. She currently sits on the governing boards of the Overseas Development Institute (UK), BRAC (Bangladesh) and Barefoot Law (Uganda).

She has received several international honours, including the Sydney Peace Prize in 2006, in recognition of her contributions to human rights.

Born in Bangladesh, Irene studied at the University of Manchester and Harvard Law School.