Ku Jaafar Ku Shaari

In this Malay name, there is no surname or family name. The name Ku Shaari is a patronymic, and the person should be referred to by their given name, Ku Jaafar. The word "bin" or "binti"/"binte" means 'son of' or 'daughter of', respectively.

Ku Jaafar bin Ku Shaari (Jawi: كو جعفر كو شعري, Malay pronunciation: [ku jaafar]; born 1 March 1957) is a Malaysian diplomat who last served as the 5th Secretary-General of the D-8 between 2018 and 2021.^[1] Apart from that, Ku Jaafar has served as the Ambassador of Malaysia to Egypt and Qatar, and the High Commissioner of Malaysia to Brunei.^[2]

Yang Mulia Dato' Ku Jaafar Ku Shaari DSDK AMK
كو جعفر كو شعري
Ku Jaafar in 2010
5th Secretary General of the D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation
In office 1 January 2018 – 1 January 2021
Preceded by	Seyed Ali Mohammad Mousavi
Succeeded by	Isiaka Abdulqadir Imam
17th Ambassador of Malaysia to Egypt
In office September 2013 – March 2017
Prime Minister	Najib Razak
Preceded by	Mohd Fakhrudin Abdul Mukti
Succeeded by	Mohd Haniff Abd Rahman
11th High Commissioner of Malaysia to Brunei
In office 8 August 2007 – 23 September 2010
Prime Minister	Abdullah Ahmad Badawi Najib Razak
Preceded by	Ali Abdullah
Succeeded by	Abdullah Sani Omar
1st Ambassador of Malaysia to Qatar
In office August 2004 – July 2007
Prime Minister	Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Muhammad Shahrul Ikram Yaakob
Personal details
Born	Ku Jaafar bin Ku Shaari (1957-03-01) 1 March 1957 (age 68) Kedah, Malaysia
Alma mater	University of Malaya (BA)
Profession	Diplomat
Ku Jaafar Ku Shaari on LinkedIn

Early life and education

Ku Jaafar was born on 1 March 1957 in Kedah, Malaysia. He studied International Relations and attained a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Malaya 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. Ku Jaafar has held various ambassadorial positions as a diplomatic administrative officer such as Second Secretary in the High Commission of Malaysia in Ottawa, Canada, Counselor at the Permanent Mission of Malaysia to the United Nations in New York, United States, Chargé d'Affaires in Croatia and Jordan, and Undersecretary for the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).^[3]

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, Brunei, and Qatar. Ku Jaafar has also served as the Director General for the Malaysian Institute of Diplomacy and Foreign Relations (IDFR).^[4] Currently, he sits as the Chairman for Al Hidayah Group.

Honours and awards

Honours of Malaysia

• Malaysia :
  • Officer of the Order of the Defender of the Realm (KMN) (2005)
• Kedah :
  • Knight Companion of the Exalted Order of Kedah (DSDK) – Dato' (2006)^[5]
  • Member of the Exalted Order of Kedah (AMK) (2000)