MFA Press Statement: Appointment of Permanent Representative to New York and High Commissioner to Australia

The Government has appointed Mr Burhan Gafoor as Singapore’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York and Mr Kwok Fook Seng as Singapore’s High Commissioner to Australia. 

Mr Burhan Gafoor will assume post as Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York on 15 August 2016.  He joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in August 1988 and last served as Singapore’s High Commissioner to Australia (September 2014 to July 2016).  Mr Gafoor was Ambassador and Chief Negotiator for UN Climate Change (May 2010 to July 2014) and Ambassador to France with concurrent accreditation to Portugal (October 2007 to December 2010).  He also served concurrently as Permanent Representative to the World Trade Organization, Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva (September 2004 to August  2007) and as Ambassador to Turkey (October 2004 to January 2006).  Mr Gafoor was Press Secretary to then-Prime Minister Mr Goh Chok Tong, from August 2002 to August 2004.

Mr Gafoor graduated with a Bachelor of Social Science (Honours) degree in Political Science from the National University of Singapore in 1988.  He also obtained a Master in Public Administration from the John F Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University in 1997, and an International Diploma in Public Administration from the Ecole Nationale d'Administration in Paris in 2002.  Mr Gafoor was awarded the Public Administration Medal (Silver) in 2001 and the Public Administration Medal (Gold) in 2013 by the Singapore Government. He was also awarded the "Grand Officier de l'Ordre National du Mérite" medal by the Government of France in 2011.

Mr Kwok Fook Seng will assume post as High Commissioner to Australia on 8 August 2016.  He joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in February 1995 and last served as Ambassador and Chief Negotiator for Climate Change (August 2014 to July 2016).  Mr Kwok was Singapore’s Permanent Representative to the World Trade Organisation in Geneva (February 2011 to June 2014).

Mr Kwok graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Communications Studies (Honours) from Murdoch University, Western Australia in 1994 and a Master of Public Management from the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore in 2003.  He was awarded the Public Administration Medal (Bronze) in 2006 and the Public Administration Medal (Silver) in 2008.

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MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

SINGAPORE

28 JULY 2016