Pakistan's outgoing Ambassador to the United Nations, Munir Akram gave a largely attended farewell reception at the Pakistani Mission on Tuesday night. United Nation General Assembly (UNGA) President Srgjan Kerim led a distinguished line up of guests, including head of diplomatic missions accredited to the United Nations, senior UN officials, prominent citizens and journalists attending the event.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon was not in the city as he was travelling from Madrid to New York. Akram, a well-known figure at the UN, will be replaced by Abdullah Hussain Haroon, a former speaker of the Sindh Assembly who is arriving in New York on Wednesday afternoon.
An expert at multilateral diplomacy, Akram was appointed as Pakistan's chief delegate at the UN in 2002 after serving as ambassador to the world body's European offices in Geneva for seven years.
During his long-term at the UN, Ambassador Akram occupied almost every important position. He was twice the President of the Security Council in May 2003 and again in May 2004; President of the Economic and Social Council in 2005; Chairman of the Group of 77 and China (developing countries) in 2007; Facilitator on UN Administrative Reform in 2006. For the last 12 months, he also chaired the Islamic Conference Group of Ambassadors in New York.