NEW YORK, Dec 27 (APP): Rafeeuddin Ahmed, a distinguished Pakistani diplomat who served the United Nations for decades in high positions, passed away on Saturday after a protracted illness.
Ahmed, 93, breathed his last at a New York hospital. He will be laid to rest on Monday.
Rafeeuddin Ahmed began his career at the United Nations in 1970 following a decade in the foreign service of Pakistan.
During his time at the United Nations, Ahmed held a variety of positions, giving him a unique insight into the complexities of international affairs.
Notable posts include serving as Chef de Cabinet of Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs in South East Asia from 1982 to 1991, Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Trusteeship and Decolonization in 1983 and Under-Secretary-General for International Economic and Social Affairs from 1987 to 1991.
Other posts he held with the United Nations include Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) (1992 – 1994); Associate Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) (1994 – 1999): Special Adviser to the Executive Director of the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) (2000); and Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Iraq (2003).
Rafeeuddin Ahmed was a brother of the late W.Z. Ahmed, the famed Pakistani film director and producer.