{{Short description|Malaysian diplomat (b. 1939)}} {{Malay name|Razali|Ismail}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = [[Malay titles#Honorary styles|Yang Berbahagia]] [[Malay titles#Tan Sri|Tan Sri]] [[Malay titles#Dato' Sri|Dato']] | name = Razali Ismail | honorific_suffix = [[Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia#Commander|PSM]] [[Order of Loyalty to the Royal House of Kedah|DSDK]] | image = Tan Sri Razali Ismail (cropped).jpg | image_size = | alt = | caption = Razali in 2015 | office = Chairman of [[Human Rights Commission of Malaysia]] | term_start = 21 June 2016 | term_end = 26 June 2019 | predecessor = Hasmy Agam | successor = Othman Hashim | office1 = [[President of the United Nations General Assembly]] | term_start1 = 17 September 1996 | term_end1 = 15 September 1997 | predecessor1 = [[Diogo Freitas do Amaral]] | successor1 = [[Hennadiy Udovenko]] | office2 = [[Malaysia]]n Ambassador to [[Poland]] | term_start2 = 1978 | term_end2 = 1982 | monarch2 = [[Ahmad Shah of Pahang|Sultan Ahmad Shah]] | predecessor2 = Position established | successor2 = | office3 = [[Malaysia]]n High Commissioner to [[India]] | term_start3 = 23 May 1982 | term_end3 = 20 May 1985 | monarch3 = [[Ahmad Shah of Pahang|Sultan Ahmad Shah]]<br/>[[Iskandar of Johor|Sultan Iskandar]] | predecessor3 = Mon Jamaluddin | successor3 = Mohamed Haron | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1939|4|14|df=y}} | birth_place = [[Alor Setar]], [[Kedah]], [[Federated Malay States]], [[British Malaya]] (now [[Malaysia]]) | birth_name = Razali bin Ismail | citizenship = [[Malaysian people|Malaysian]] | party = | spouse = | children = | education = [[Kolej Sultan Abdul Hamid|Sultan Abdul Hamid College]] <br> [[Malay College Kuala Kangsar]] | alma_mater = [[University of Malaya]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]]) | occupation = [[Diplomat]] | profession = }} '''Razali bin Ismail''' (born 14 April 1939) is a [[Malaysia]]n diplomat. He is formerly the Chairman of the [[Human Rights Commission of Malaysia]] (SUHAKAM) from 2016 to 2019.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.suhakam.org.my/about-suhakam/ahli-suruhanjaya/pass-commission/|title=Past Commissioners: Members of the Commission 2016 – 2019|publisher=[[Human Rights Commission of Malaysia|Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM)]]|access-date=24 July 2019}}</ref> He was also the 51st [[President of the United Nations General Assembly]] from 1996 until 1997.
==Early life and education== He received his education at the [[Kolej Sultan Abdul Hamid|Sultan Abdul Hamid College]] and completed his studies in 1956. Then he continued his education at the [[Malay College Kuala Kangsar]] (MCKK) for 2 years.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mykedah2.com/e_20hall_fame/e201a_3.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080614032419/http://www.mykedah2.com/e_20hall_fame/e201a_3.htm |archive-date=2008-06-14 |title=Hall of Fame :: Tan Sri Razali Ismail}}</ref> He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree with Honors in literature and the humanities from [[Universiti Malaya]] and an Honorary Doctorate from [[Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia]].<ref name=HallofFame>{{cite web|url=http://www.mykedah2.com/e_20hall_fame/e201a_3.htm|title=Tan Sri Razali Ismail|author=Syed Zulfilda S.M. Noor|access-date=November 19, 2011|archive-date=March 3, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303213533/http://www.mykedah2.com/e_20hall_fame/e201a_3.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>
==Career and post== Razali Ismail first joined the Malaysian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1962 and went on to become the Ministry's Deputy Secretary-General in 1985. Before he was appointed to the post, he served as the Malaysia's Assistant High Commissioner in [[Madras]] from 1963 to 1964, Second Secretary of Malaysia's Embassy in [[Paris]] in between 1966 and 1968, the Counsellor in the Malaysian High Commission in [[London]] from 1970 until 1972 and the Chargé d'affaires in [[Vientiane]] from 1974 until 1976. He was later the Malaysian Ambassador to [[Poland]] from 1978 to 1982 and to [[India]] between 1982 and 1985.
After his tenure as Malaysian Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Deputy Secretary-General, he became increasingly involved with the [[United Nations]]. In 1989 and 1990, he headed the Malaysian delegation to the United Nations. At the same time, he was the chairman of [[United Nations Security Council]]. From 1996 to 1997, he became the [[President of the United Nations General Assembly]].
In the past, he usually headed Malaysian diplomatic delegation to various regional and international bodies such as [[ASEAN]] and the [[Non-Aligned Movement]]. Until a few years ago, he had been Malaysia's Permanent Representative to the United Nations.
Up until 2005, he was United Nations Secretary-General's Special Envoy to [[Myanmar]] and played a pivotal role in releasing [[Aung San Suu Kyi]] from house arrest in May 2002. However, his impartiality as a UN Special Envoy was questioned by American officials in an embassy cable that was released via Wikileaks, alleging his business ties with the Burmese military regime.{{citation needed|date=November 2023}} Later however, Myanmar military junta repeatedly denied him entry to Myanmar, contributing to his decision to quit the special envoy status in December 2005.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/4592842.stm|title=United Nations' Burma envoy quits |date=January 8, 2006|publisher=[[BBC News]]|access-date=November 19, 2011}}</ref>
==Honours== ===Honours of Malaysia=== * {{flag|Malaysia}} ** [[File:Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia - PSM.svg|50px]] Commander of the [[Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia#Commander|Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia]] (PSM) – '''Tan Sri''' (1991) * {{Flag|Kedah}} ** [[File:MY-KED Order of Loyalty to the Royal House of Kedah - Knight Companion (DSDK).svg|50px]] Knight Companion of the [[Order of Loyalty to the Royal House of Kedah]] (DSDK) – '''Dato'''' (1985)
===Honorary degrees=== * {{Flag|Malaysia}} ** Honorary Doctorate degree from [[National University of Malaysia]]
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *https://www.un.org/ga/55/president/bio51.htm
{{s-start}} {{s-dip}} {{succession box|before=[[Diogo Freitas do Amaral]]|title=[[President of the United Nations General Assembly]]|years=1996–1997|after=[[Hennadiy Udovenko]]}} {{s-end}} {{Presidents of the UN General Assembly}} {{Authority control}}
[[Category:1939 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:People from Kedah]] [[Category:Malaysian people of Malay descent]] [[Category:Malaysian Muslims]] [[Category:Malaysian officials of the United Nations]] [[Category:Presidents of the United Nations General Assembly]] [[Category:Permanent representatives of Malaysia to the United Nations]] [[Category:High commissioners of Malaysia to India]] [[Category:Ambassadors of Malaysia to Poland]] [[Category:University of Malaya alumni]] [[Category:Commanders of the Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia]] [[Category:Special envoys of the Secretary-General of the United Nations]] [[Category:Malay College Kuala Kangsar alumni]]