Staff Correspondent

Former ambassador Wali-ur Rahman passed away while undergoing treatment at a hospital in Dhaka on Wednesday at the age of 80.

He breathed his last at Labaid Specialised Hospital around 10:30am, according to family sources.
He was born in Jessore on December 26, 1942.

He is a former secretary and ambassador, Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He was also a special envoy of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina from 1997 to 1998.

Educated in Dhaka, Rahman enjoyed a fellowship at Trinity College, Oxford in 1974-75.

Rahman had the rare privilege of piloting the admission of Bangladesh to the World Health Organization (WHO), the first United Nations Agency to admit the newly independent country Bangladesh as a member in May 1972.

At that time, he was the first Permanent Observer to the European Office of the United Nations in Geneva where he also witnessed the admission of Bangladesh to such UN Agencies as ILO, WMO, UPU, FAO, GATT, UNCTAD, IAEA and UNIDO.

Since then, Rahman has been deeply involved in the work of the International Organisations particularly that of the United Nations.

He was the director, in charge of the political, legal, and information department in the organisation of the Islamic Conference for the year 1978.

Rahman represented his country in various international conferences including the 34th session of the UNGA and the 37th session of the UNGA.

Rahman represented the Council of Namibia delegation to the Law of the Sea as a delegate. He was promoted to the rank of Ambassador in 1982.

He is an Associate Member of the International Institute of Strategic Studies, an Associate member of the International Peace Academy in New York, Life member of the Oxford University.