Lancaster Alumnus - Representative of Malaysia to the United Nations

Lancaster Alumnus Rastam Mohd.Isa, the new Permanent Representative of Malaysia to the United Nations, presented his credentials to Secretary-General Kofi Annan last month.

Mr Rastam received his master's degree in international relations from Lancaster University and his bachelor's degree in social science (with honours) from the Malaysian University of Science.

Prior to this appointment, Mr Rastam served as his country's Ambassador to Indonesia (1999-2003) and Bosnia and Herzegovina (1996-1998). In between those appointments, he served as Malaysia's Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York during 1998 and 1999.

A career diplomat, Mr Rastam joined Malaysia's Foreign Ministry as Assistant Secretary in 1974 and received his first foreign assignment as Second, and then First Secretary at the Embassy in Washington D.C. from 1978 to 1983. From 1983 to 1988, he served as Principal Assistant Secretary at his country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. From 1988 to 1991, he was a Counsellor at the Permanent Mission of Malaysia to the United Nations in New York, and during 1991 and 1992, he served as Minister Councellor/Deputy Head of Mission at his country's Embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia.

In 1992, he was promoted to the position of Under-Secretary responsible for South-East Asia and the South Pacific at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and, in 1994, he became High Commissioner of Malaysia to Pakistan