Tan Sri Razali Ismail has over 35 years of career with the Malaysian Diplomatic Service. He held various posts; Ambassador to Poland concurrently German Democratic Republic, Czechoslovakia and Hungary, High Commissioner to India, Deputy Secretary-General (Political Affairs) and Permanent Representative to the United Nations. At the UN, Razali Ismail served in various capacities: Chairman of the Group of 77, President of the UN Security Council, Chairman of the Commission on Sustainable Development and President of the United Nations General Assembly.
Razali Ismail was involved in articulating and developing positions in various bodies on issues such as development and sustainability, poverty and marginalisation, political reforms in the United Nations and issues of human rights and the environment. He continues to keep abreast on these subjects at home and abroad, through participation at seminars etc. and interacting with personalities and bodies, ties established earlier. He was the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Myanmar for more than 5 years (from 2000-2005).
In Malaysia Razali Ismail is involved in IT and environmental industries specifically in renewable energy and solar, is the Pro Chancellor of the University Science Malaysia, Chairman of the National Peace Volunteer Corp (Yayasan Salam), was Chairman of a grant organization on Natural Disaster, Force of Nature (FON), heads an NGO project, Yayasan Chow Kit, supported by government on street and displaced children; sits on the Board of the Razak School of Government. He is an on the ground environmentalist especially over the protection and replanting of mangroves. He was also for a period President of the WWF Malaysia. Was recently appointed Chairman of the Global Movement of Moderates Foundation. He writes for the ‘ginger group’ “Foreign Policy Study Group”.