SINGAPORE - 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).

He succeeds Singapore's second AICHR representative, Ambassador-at-Large Chan Heng Chee.

Mr Desker is also currently the chairman of Singapore Technologies Marine.

He was Singapore's ambassador to Indonesia from 1986 to 1993, and the chief executive officer of the Trade Development Board from 1994 to 2000, among other appointments in the public and private sectors.

He is married to Ms Peggy Ann Rozario and they have two children.

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.