Ku Jaafar bin Ku Shaari (, ; born 1 March 1957) is a Malaysian diplomat who last served as the 5th Secretary-General of the D-8 between 2018 and 2021. Apart from that, Ku Jaafar has served as the Ambassador of Malaysia to Egypt and

Qatar Qatar, officially the State of Qatar, is a country in West Asia. It occupies the Geography of Qatar, Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it shares Qatar–Saudi Arabia border, its sole land b ...

, and the High Commissioner of Malaysia to Brunei.

Early life and education

Ku Jaafar was born on 1 March 1957 in

Kedah Kedah (), also known by its honorific Darul Aman (Islam), Aman (دار الأمان; Arabic for 'The Safe Abode') and historically as Queda, is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia, located in the northwestern part of ...

, Malaysia. He studied

International Relations International relations (IR, and also referred to as international studies, international politics, or international affairs) is an academic discipline. In a broader sense, the study of IR, in addition to multilateral relations, concerns al ...

and attained a Bachelor of Arts at the

University of Malaya The Universiti Malaya (lit 'University of Malaya'; abbreviated UM) is a public university, public research university located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is the oldest Malaysian institution of higher education, and was the only university in ...

and later completed a Diploma in Public Administration at the National Institute of Public Administration (INTAN), Malaysia's pioneer and elite agency in training civil servants and diplomatic administrative officers.

Career

Ku Jaafar first started his diplomatic career in 1981. Throughout his extensive and distinguished career as a diplomat, Ku Jaafar has held various ambassadorial positions as a diplomatic administrative officer such as Second Secretary in the High Commission of Malaysia in

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

, Canada, Counselor at the Permanent Mission of Malaysia to the United Nations in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, United States, Chargé d'Affaires in

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

and

Jordan Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...

, and Undersecretary for the

Organization of Islamic Cooperation The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC; ; ), formerly the Organisation of the Islamic Conference, is an intergovernmental organisation founded in 1969. It consists of 57 member states, 48 of which are Muslim-majority. The Pew Forum on ...

(OIC). His peak career as a diplomat was during his appointment as the 5th Secretary General of the D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation, becoming the first Malaysian to hold the post. Prior to that, Ku Jaafar was the highest diplomatic envoy of Malaysia to

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

Brunei Brunei, officially Brunei Darussalam, is a country in Southeast Asia, situated on the northern coast of the island of Borneo. Apart from its coastline on the South China Sea, it is completely surrounded by the Malaysian state of Sarawak, with ...

, and

. Ku Jaafar has also served as the Director General for the Malaysian Institute of Diplomacy and Foreign Relations (IDFR). Currently, he sits as the Chairman for Al Hidayah Group.

Honours and awards

Honours of Malaysia

* : **

Officer of the

Order of the Defender of the Realm The Most Esteemed Order of the Defender of the Realm () is a Malaysian federal award presented for meritorious service to the country. The Order Motto are 'Dipeliharakan Allah-Pangkuan Negara' (By the Grace of God-Defender of the Realm). The o ...

(KMN) (2005) * : ** Knight Companion of the Exalted Order of Kedah (DSDK) – Dato' (2006) ** Member of the Exalted Order of Kedah (AMK) (2000)

References

6. https://al-hidayahgroup.com/dato-ku-jaafar{{DEFAULTSORT:Ku Shaari, Ku Jaafar Malaysian diplomats University of Malaya alumni High commissioners of Malaysia to Brunei Ambassadors of Malaysia to Qatar Ambassadors of Malaysia to Egypt 1957 births Living people