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| Abul Ahsan | |
|---|---|
| আবুল আহসান | |
 Ahsan at the European Union in Brussels (1977) | |
| Ambassador of Bangladesh to the United States | |
| In office 25 November 1988 – 17 October 1991 | |
| Preceded by | A. H. S. Ataul Karim |
| Succeeded by | M. Humayun Kabir |
| Ambassador of Bangladesh to Belgium and the European Union | |
| In office 30 March 1977 – 14 November 1978 | |
| Preceded by | Sanaul Huq |
| Succeeded by | Faruq Ahmed Choudhury |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1936-12-01)1 December 1936 |
| Died | 7 December 2008(2008-12-07) (aged 71) Dhaka, Bangladesh |
| Nationality | Bangladeshi |
| Alma mater | |
| Occupation | Diplomat |
Abul Ahsan (28 December 1936 – 7 December 2008) was a Bangladeshi diplomat. He served as the ambassador of Bangladesh to Belgium and the European Union during 1977–1978.
Education
Abul Ahsan secured first class in M.A in economics from the Dhaka University (1959) and M.A in international relations from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy (1962). He stood first in the Civil and Foreign Services examination of Pakistan and joined the Foreign Service in 1961 and held several diplomatic positions. He completed his secondary school certificate from Noakhali Zilla School.
Career
After Bangladesh's independence, Ahsan served in the Bangladeshi Foreign Service for 34 years, ending his career as the Bangladeshi Ambassador to Washington, DC. He served as the country's Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador to Poland, Italy, Pakistan and the United States (1991–93). He was the first secretary-general of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) (1987–89) as well as Foreign Secretary of Bangladesh (1989–91). He was one of the 15 members of the Council of Eminent Persons established by the Summit meeting of the Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC) in 1994 to report on the working of the specialized bodies of the organization. From 1996 to 1999, he served as a member of the executive board of the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Ahsan served as vice-president at the Independent University Bangladesh . He was chairperson of the Fair Election Monitoring Alliance (FEMA) and was involved in governance and election-related activities for several years, and also held the position of President of Center for Democracy a citizen's organization devoted to the promotion of good governance and democracy.
Ahsan represented Bangladesh at a large number of meetings and conferences including UN General Assembly and Security Council Sessions, Summit and Ministerial level meetings of the Commonwealth, the Non-aligned Movement and the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC).
Ahsan is the author of the book SAARC: A Perspective and jointly edited two publications by Independent University Bangladesh entitled Education in a Rapidly Changing World: Focus on Bangladesh and Indigenous Peoples of Bangladesh. He co-chaired a study conducted by the Asia Foundation which was published in 2004 under the title America's role in Asia.
Ahsan died on 7 December 2008 after going into cardiac arrest.
References
- "Former ambassadors". www.bangladesh-embassy.be. Archived from the original on 12 August 2018. Retrieved 28 July 2021.
- "Roll of Honour". High Commission of Bangladesh in Islamabad. 2019. Archived from the original on 12 May 2021. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
- "List of Former Secretaties". South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation. Archived from the original on 2 September 2015. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
- "First SAARC head Abul Ahsan dies". bdnews24.com. 7 December 2008.
| Secretary General of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation | |
|---|---|
|
(Bangladesh)
(India)
(Maldives)
(Nepal)
(Pakistan)
(Sri Lanka)
(Bhutan)