The new Permanent Representative of the Maldives to the United Nations, Abdul Ghafoor Mohamed, presented his credentials today to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. From January 2009 until his new appointment, Mr. Ghafoor served as Ambassador-at-Large in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, seconded to the Office of the President. He was Permanent Representative to the United Nations Office in Geneva from December 2007 to January 2009, and served concurrently as Permanent Representative to the World Trade Organization from September 2008.
A career Foreign Service officer, Mr. Ghafoor has held various positions in the Foreign Ministry, including Executive Director in 2007; Assistant Executive Director in 2005; Director General, Foreign Relations, between 1994 and 2000; Deputy Director, Foreign Relations, in 1989; and Programme Officer in 1983.
His overseas service includes postings as Deputy High Commissioner in Malaysia (2006) and Sri Lanka (2005); Counsellor in Sri Lanka (2003); and Director (Maldives), at the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Secretariat in Kathmandu, Nepal, (1997 to 2000).
Mr. Ghafoor has a master’s degree in international relations from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University, in Massachusetts, and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Tasmania in Australia.
