Khalilur Rahman (economist)

Khalilur Rahman
খলিলুর রহমান
High Representative to the Chief Adviser on Rohingya Issues and Priority Matters
Incumbent
Assumed office 19 November 2024
President	Mohammed Shahabuddin
Chief Adviser	Muhammad Yunus
Personal details
Alma mater	University of Dhaka Tufts University Kennedy School of Government

Dr. Khalilur Rahman is a Bangladeshi economist and diplomat. In 2024, the Yunus government appointed him as the High Representative and Chief Advisor for the Rohingya issue and priority matters.

Education

Khalilur Rahman obtained his MA in Economics from the University of Dhaka. In 1977, he secured the top position in the Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) examination and achieved first place in the first class in the postgraduate examination in Economics.

He pursued advanced studies at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, where he earned a MA in Law and Diplomacy and a PhD in Economics.

Career

In 1991, Rahman began his career with the UN Secretariat as a Special Adviser at UNCTAD in Geneva. Over the next 25 years, he took on several key roles in New York and Geneva. These included leading the Economic, Social, and Development Affairs team at the UN Secretary-General’s Executive Office, heading the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) Programme, and chairing the UN Interagency Group on Non-Tariff Barriers to Trade. His work spanned critical areas of global development and policy.

In 2001, Rahman served as the Private Secretary to Latifur Rahman, Chief Adviser of Bangladesh’s caretaker government. Beyond his work in governance, he is also one of the founding members of East West University in Dhaka.

On November 19, 2024, Rahman was appointed as the High Representative to the Chief Adviser on Rohingya Issues and Priority Affairs.