Muhammad Shahrul Is Malaysia's New Permanent Representative To UN

PUTRAJAYA (Malaysia), Jan 25 (Bernama) -- Muhammad Shahrul Ikram Yaakob has been appointed as the new Permanent Representative of Malaysia to the United Nations (UN) in New York, Wisma Putra (Malaysia's Foreign Ministry) announced Wednesday. Muhammad Shahrul, 55, a senior career diplomat who has served in the Foreign Ministry since 1988, is expected to assume his new post in the first week of February. He received his letter of appointment from Foreign Minister Anifah Aman in a ceremony at the ministry, here, Wednesday. Prior to his new appointment, Muhammad Shahrul served as director-general of the ASEAN-Malaysia National Secretariat from 2013 to 2016 and then as deputy secretary-general for Bilateral Affairs. He has held several key positions at the ministry, including as Malaysia's ambassador to Austria from 2010 to 2013, ambassador to Qatar from 2007 to 2010 and as counsellor at the Malaysian embassy in Vienna, Austria from 2002 to 2005. Wisma Putra in the statement said the role of the Permanent Representative of Malaysia to the UN was vital to promote and uphold Malaysia's interest and foreign policy objectives on issues deliberated at the UN. Among the main and current focus of the UN was the implementation of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, whereby its sustainable development goals had been incorporated in the 11th Malaysia Plan, it said. Additionally, it said, the Permanent Representative was responsible for continuing the initiatives undertaken by Malaysia at the United Nations Security Council during its non-permanent membership for the term 2015-2016. This included promoting the five priorities pursued at the Security Council, namely on moderation, mediation, peacekeeping, peacebuilding and UNSC reform, it said. "Malaysia will continue to support the work of the United Nations, the pillars of which are international peace and security, social and economic development, and the promotion and protection of human rights." In this regard, Wisma Putra said, Malaysia would continue to work closely with the other UN member states, the UN Secretariat and the other main bodies under the UN. --BERNAMA