Anwarul Karim Chowdhury (; born 5 February 1943) is a Bangladeshi diplomat most noted for his work on development in the poorest nations, global peace and championing the rights of women and

children A child () is a human being between the stages of childbirth, birth and puberty, or between the Development of the human body, developmental period of infancy and puberty. The term may also refer to an unborn human being. In English-speaking ...

. In a speech he gave in 2005, Chowdhury stated: "We should not forget that when women are marginalized, there is little chance for an open and participatory society." In his role as the leading United Nations Culture of Peace emissary, he said in May 2010 that peace efforts would continually fail until people embraced humanity's oneness.

Biography

Chowdhury was appointed in March 2002 by the

Secretary-General of the United Nations The secretary-general of the United Nations (UNSG or UNSECGEN) is the chief administrative officer of the United Nations and head of the United Nations Secretariat, one of the United Nations System#Six principal organs, six principal organs of ...

as Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States. In December 2003, Chowdhury was designated as the Secretary-General of the International Meeting for the ten-year review of the Barbados Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of the Small Island Developing States held in

Mauritius Mauritius, officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island country in the Indian Ocean, about off the southeastern coast of East Africa, east of Madagascar. It includes the main island (also called Mauritius), as well as Rodrigues, Ag ...

from 10 to 14 January 2005. Chowdhury was also designated the Secretary-General of the International Ministerial Conference of Landlocked and Transit Developing Countries and the Donor Community on Transit Transport Cooperation held in Almaty,

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a landlocked country primarily in Central Asia, with a European Kazakhstan, small portion in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the Kazakhstan–Russia border, north and west, China to th ...

on 28–29 August 2003. Prior to his appointment, Chowdhury completed his assignment (1996–2001) as Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the United Nations in New York City. He also served as Bangladesh's Ambassador to

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

Nicaragua Nicaragua, officially the Republic of Nicaragua, is the geographically largest Sovereign state, country in Central America, comprising . With a population of 7,142,529 as of 2024, it is the third-most populous country in Central America aft ...

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

and

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

, as well as Bangladesh's High Commissioner to the

Bahamas The Bahamas, officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an archipelagic and island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean. It contains 97 per cent of the archipelago's land area and 88 per cent of its population. ...

and

Guyana Guyana, officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern coast of South America, part of the historic British West Indies. entry "Guyana" Georgetown, Guyana, Georgetown is the capital of Guyana and is also the co ...

. During his tenure as Permanent Representative, Chowdhury served as President of the Security Council, President of the United Nations Children's Fund (

UNICEF UNICEF ( ), originally the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, officially United Nations Children's Fund since 1953, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Development a ...

) Executive Board and Vice-President of the Economic and Social Council of the UN in 1997 and 1998. He had served for more than 10 years as the Coordinator for the Least Developed Countries in New York City. In May 2001, he led the negotiations on behalf of the least developed countries at the Third United Nations Conference on Least Developed Countries, which adopted the comprehensive Brussels Programme of Action for the present decade. Chowdhury also chaired the Fifth (Administrative and Budgetary) Committee of the

United Nations General Assembly The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; , AGNU or AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as its main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ. Currently in its Seventy-ninth session of th ...

in 1997–1998. From 1990 to 1993, Chowdhury was the UNICEF Director for Japan, Australia and

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

. At the first annual Peace Education Conference, held virtually in September 2021, Chowdhury was the inaugural keynote speaker, as Founder of the Global Movement for the Culture of Peace. Also featured was Dr. Stéphane Monney Mouandjo, Director-General of CAFRAD,
UNPAN
member, along with other dignitaries.

Education

Chowdhury was born in 1943 in

Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; , ), List of renamed places in Bangladesh, formerly known as Dacca, is the capital city, capital and list of cities and towns in Bangladesh, largest city of Bangladesh. It is one of the list of largest cities, largest and list o ...

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...

and joined the diplomatic service in 1967. He holds a Master of Arts degree in contemporary history and

International Relations International relations (IR, and also referred to as international studies, international politics, or international affairs) is an academic discipline. In a broader sense, the study of IR, in addition to multilateral relations, concerns al ...

from the University of Dhaka. He has been a regular contributor to journals on

peace Peace is a state of harmony in the absence of hostility and violence, and everything that discusses achieving human welfare through justice and peaceful conditions. In a societal sense, peace is commonly used to mean a lack of conflict (suc ...

, development and human rights issues, and a speaker at academic institutions and other forums. He also served as an adjunct professor at the School of Diplomacy, Seton Hall University of South Orange, New Jersey, the United States.

Honours

Chowdhury is the recipient of the U Thant Peace Award and UNESCO Gandhi Gold Medal for Culture of Peace. He is an Honorary Patron of the Committee on Teaching About the UN (CTAUN), New York. In March 2003, Soka University of Japan conferred on Chowdhury an honorary doctorate for his work on women's issues, child rights and culture of peace as well as for the strengthening of the United Nations. His initiative in March 2000 as the president of the Security Council led to the adoption of the groundbreaking the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on the role of women in peace and security. Chowdhury has been decorated by the Government of Burkina Faso with the country's highest honour, L'Ordre national, on 18 June 2007 in Ouagadougou for his championship of the cause of the most vulnerable countries.

Interfaith dialogue

On 2 December 2008, Chowdury said: "Interfaith dialogue is absolutely essential, relevant, and necessary. ... If 2009 is to truly be the Year of Interfaith Cooperation, the UN urgently needs to appoint an interfaith representative at a senior level in the Secretariat."

References

External links

* In the Fall of 2007 Ambassador Chowdhury taught a week-long course at Soka University of America located in Aliso Viejo, California, the US on the theme of creating a "Culture of Peace". {{DEFAULTSORT:Chowdhury, Anwarul Karim 1943 births Living people Bangladeshi politicians Bangladeshi officials of the United Nations Ambassadors of Bangladesh to Chile Ambassadors of Bangladesh to Nicaragua Ambassadors of Bangladesh to Peru Ambassadors of Bangladesh to Venezuela High commissioners of Bangladesh to the Bahamas High commissioners of Bangladesh to Guyana Chairmen and Presidents of UNICEF Permanent representatives of Bangladesh to the United Nations