AK Abdul Momen

Abul Kalam Abdul Momen
Born	(1947-08-23) August 23, 1947 Sylhet, Bangladesh
Occupation(s)	Economist, diplomat, politician
Years active	1973–present
Known for	Foreign Minister of Bangladesh (2019–2024); Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the United Nations (2009–2015)

Abul Kalam Abdul Momen (born 23 August 1947), commonly referred to as AK Abdul Momen, is a Bangladeshi economist, diplomat, and politician who held the position of foreign minister from January 2019 until January 2024. Prior to this, he served as Bangladesh’s permanent representative to the United Nations from August 2009 through October 2015. After securing a seat in the Jatiya Sangsad for the Sylhet-1 constituency during the 2018 general elections, he was appointed foreign minister by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Background and education

Born on 23 August 1947 in Sylhet into a politically active Bengali Muslim family, Abdul Momen’s father, Abu Ahmad Abdul Hafiz, was a lawyer who played a foundational role in establishing the Sylhet branch of the All-India Muslim League and participated in the Pakistan Movement. His mother, Syeda Shahar Banu, was a notable activist involved in the Bengali language movement. Among his fourteen siblings are AM Abdul Muhith, who served as Bangladesh’s finance minister, and Shahla Khatun, a National Professor and medical doctor.

Momen completed his secondary education at Sylhet Government Pilot High School. He then earned a Bachelor of Arts in economics in 1969 followed by a Master’s degree in development economics in 1971, both from the University of Dhaka.

Career

Beginning his professional journey as a civil servant, Abdul Momen worked as private secretary to ministers responsible for rural development and trade from 1973 to 1975. He subsequently served as section officer overseeing South Asia, East Asia, and Middle East affairs at the Ministry of Commerce between 1975 and 1976. From 1976 to 1978, he was director at the Office of the President's Advisor on Trade and Commerce. Additionally, he obtained an LLB in law from Central College, Dhaka in 1976.

Furthering his studies in the United States, Momen earned a Master of Public Administration from Harvard Kennedy School and completed a PhD in economics at Northeastern University in 1988. His academic career includes teaching economics and business administration at various institutions such as Merrimack College, Salem State College, Northeastern University, University of Massachusetts, Harvard Kennedy School, and American International University-Bangladesh.

In 1998, he took on the role of economic adviser at the Saudi Industrial Development Fund but returned to Massachusetts following the Riyadh bombings in 2003. Afterwards, he taught at Framingham State College until his appointment as Bangladesh’s permanent representative to the UN in 2009.

Within the United Nations system, Momen held several prominent positions: president of UNICEF’s executive board in 2010; vice president and acting president during the 67th UN General Assembly; and president of the UN High-Level Committee on South-South Cooperation in 2014.

His brother AM Abdul Muhith supported his candidacy for Sylhet-1 during the 2018 general elections, which Momen won. In February 2020, he declared that Bangladesh bore "no obligation" to accept Rohingya refugees stranded at sea and called on UNHCR to take responsibility for their welfare.

Further reading

• Smith, James F. "Framingham State professor headed to UN," Boston Globe, 28 July 2009
• "Dhaka's permanent UN envoy slates staff recall, calls for a rethink on service rules," bdnews24.com, 2 January 2015