Fatima joined the Bangladesh Foreign Service in 1989. She has served in various Bangladesh missions, including as First Secretary in the Permanent Mission to the UN, New York (1994-1998); Counsellor, Deputy High Commission, Kolkata (1998-2000); Counsellor, Permanent Mission to the UN, Geneva (2002-2005); and Minister & DCM, Embassy in Beijing (2005). In the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, she has served in various positions, including as Assistant Secretary (UN), Director (UN) and Director General (East Asia & Pacific). She has specialization in human rights and humanitarian affairs, and was closely involved in the processes leading to Bangladesh's accession to the major human rights and disarmament treaties. Fatima also served in lien with two international organizations, namely, as Head of Human Rights (2006-2007) in the Commonwealth Secretariat, London; and with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) as the Regional Representative for South Asia (2007-2011); and as the Regional Adviser for South and South-west Asia & Regional Adviser for Climate Change and Migration in IOM's Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (2012-2015). She was also actively engaged with the successful implementation of the reintegration programme for these migrant workers. Fatima was the president of the UNICEF Executive Board in 2020. She was also elected as the vice president of the UNDP/UNFPA/UNOPS Executive Board for 2021 in December 2020. Fatima was also appointed as co-facilitator along with the Permanent Representative of Slovenia to lead the intergovernmental consultation on the alignment of the agendas of the General Assembly and ECOSOC. Fatima received her M.A. in international relations and diplomacy from the
Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy,
Tufts University, and B.A. in social science from the
University of Canberra, Australia. == Personal life ==