The government has appointed prominent human rights advocate Irene Khan as Bangladesh's permanent representative and ambassador to the United Nations in New York, granting her the status of a state minister.
The Cabinet Division issued a gazette notification on Wednesday announcing the appointment.
Under the notification, Khan will receive the salary, allowances, and other benefits applicable to a state minister while serving in the post.
She will succeed Salahuddin Noman Chowdhury, who currently serves as Bangladesh's permanent representative to the United Nations.
Khan has served as the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression since Aug. 1, 2020. She is also a faculty member at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva.
From 2001 to 2009, Khan served as secretary general of Amnesty International, becoming the first woman to lead the global human rights organization.
She later served as director-general of the International Development Law Organization (IDLO) from 2012 to 2019.