Mr Barry Desker has been appointed Singapore’s Representative to the Asean Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) by the Singapore Government.

Mr Desker, 68, is a non-resident ambassador of Singapore to the Holy See and Spain. He is also a member of the Presidential Council for Minority Rights and a member of the board of directors of the Lee Kuan Yew Exchange Fellowship.

His term of service at the AICHR, which is responsible for the promotion and protection of human rights in Asean, will start on Jan 1, 2016, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday (Dec 4).

… In his absence, Dr Shashi Jayakumar, who been appointed as Singapore’s alternative representative to the AICHR, will cover his duties.

Dr Jayakumar heads the Centre of Excellence for National Security at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at the Nanyang Technological University.