H.E. President Razali Ismail

President of the 51st Session, 10th Emergency Special Session, and 19th Special Session of the United Nations General Assembly

President Ismail was Malaysia's Permanent Representative to the United Nations from 1988 to 1996, until his election as President of the General Assembly. He was also his country's ambassador to Cuba and its High Commissioner to Barbados, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, and Trinidad and Tobago. As Malaysia's Permanent Representative, he served in various capacities in the United Nations. From 1989 to 1990, he headed Malaysia's delegation to the Security Council, where he was President in 1989 and 1990. In 1990, he chaired the Security Council Committee on the South African arms embargo, and in 1991 he served as Vice President of the Economic and Social Council.

In 1992, President Razali headed Malaysia's delegation to the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), and in 1993 he was elected Chairman of the Commission on Sustainable Development. He also served as Vice-Chairman, representing Asia, of the Preparatory Committee for the Fiftieth Anniversary of the United Nations. In 1989, President Razali was Chairman of the "Group of 77" developing countries.

President Razali, a career diplomat, joined his country's foreign service in 1962. Prior to his election as President of the General Assembly, he served from 1985 as Deputy Secretary-General in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in charge of political affairs. He was Malaysia's Ambassador to India (1982-1985) and, before that, to Poland (1978-1982), concurrently accredited to Hungary, the German Democratic Republic and Czechoslovakia. His other assignments were as follows: Chargé d'affaires in Vientiane, Lao People's Democratic Republic (1974-1976); Counsellor in the Malaysian High Commission in London (1970-1972); and Second Secretary of Malaysia's Embassy in Paris (1966-1968).

From 1964 to 1966, President Razali was Malaysia's Assistant High Commissioner in Madras. He also served in his country's High Commission in New Delhi from 1963 to 1964. President Razali has been a member of Malaysia's delegations to meetings of the Association of SouthEast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Non-Aligned Movement, the Commonwealth and the Organization of the Islamic Conference. He was Adviser to the Prime Minister of Malaysia when he chaired the United Nations International Conference on Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, held in Vienna in 1987. From 1989 to 1990, he was member of the Board of Directors of the International Peace Academy President Razali was conferred the title of Dato' Setia Diraja Kedah in 1985, and the Panglima Setia Mahkota in 1991. In 1992, he received the Langkawi Environment Award from his Government.

President Razali holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree in the humanities and literature, has received an Honorary Doctorate from the National University of Malaysia, and from 1993 to 1995 was Adjunct Professor of International Studies at Michigan State University. He is a member of the International Advisory Panel of the International World Trust, Malaysia; a fellow of the Institute for Environment and Development, National University of Malaysia; and a member of the Board of Advisers of Wetlands International Asia-Pacific, Malaysia.

Born in Kedah, Malaysia in 1939, President Razali is married and has three children.