Consulate General of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, Los Angeles

Kazi Muhammad Jabed Iqbal

Consul General of Bangladesh, Los Angeles

Kazi Muhammad Jabed Iqbal is a career diplomat with nearly two decades of distinguished service in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh. He brings extensive expertise in bilateral and multilateral diplomacy, with specialization in climate and energy diplomacy, trade and investment promotion, migration and diaspora affairs, human rights, and technical cooperation.

Mr. Iqbal has served in Bangladesh Missions in Germany, China, Qatar, and Indonesia, as well as in key leadership roles at the Foreign Ministry in Dhaka. Before assuming his role as Consul General in Los Angeles, he was Minister (Political & Consular) at the Embassy of Bangladesh in Berlin, where he advanced climate cooperation, expanded trade partnerships, facilitated skilled migration, and promoted academic exchanges with Germany, the Czech Republic, and Kosovo. He also played an active role in organising the first-ever Bangladesh–Czech Republic Foreign Secretary-level bilateral consultations in December 2024, setting a new milestone in the bilateral relations.

As Director for East Asia and Pacific in Dhaka, he managed relations with major partners such as China, Japan, Korea, and Australia. He played an instrumental role in the evacuation of Bangladeshi nationals from Wuhan during the COVID-19 outbreak and took an active part in strengthening global health cooperation by arranging virtual consultations, facilitating access to vaccines and medical supplies, and advancing cross-border, regional and transcontinental collaboration to address the emerging and reemerging infectious diseases, including the Covid pandemic and its aftermath . He also played an important role in steering bilateral consultations with China, Japan, and Australia, which broadened Bangladesh’s economic, trade, climate, and strategic partnerships in the Asia–Pacific region.

During his tenure in Qatar (2014–2019), he remained crucial in promoting the welfare of a large Bangladeshi expatriate community, advancing labor rights, and deepening Bangladesh–Qatar LNG cooperation. He was also entrusted with organising the Foreign Ministerial-level consultation between Bangladesh and Qatar in 2017, paving the way for greater collaboration on recruitment of human resources, labor issues, investment, and development partnership.

In Indonesia (2011–2014), he contributed to advancing cooperation in the blue economy, climate adaptation, and trade and investment promotion, as well as collaboration in disaster management, agriculture, institutional development, and wider cooperation with the ASEAN. He was also actively engaged in addressing human trafficking issues, working with Indonesian authorities and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to protect Bangladeshi nationals and facilitate their safe repatriation.

As Assistant Secretary at the United Nations Wing in Dhaka (2009–2011), Mr. Iqbal was closely engaged in climate diplomacy, human rights, UNCAC implementation, and peacekeeping cooperation. He contributed to Bangladesh’s successful candidatures at various UN bodies and was entrusted to organise major events, including a peacekeeping seminar and the visit of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to Bangladesh in 2011.

Over the course of his career, Mr. Iqbal has represented Bangladesh at numerous global and regional forums, including the United Nations General Assembly (2009, 2010, 2011), the Third UNCAC Conference of States Parties in Doha (2009), the Fourth UN Conference on the Least Developed Countries in Istanbul (2011), the ECOSOC Session in Geneva (2011), the WTO Ministerial Conference in Bali (2013), the Bali Democracy Forum (2011 and 2012), the ASEM Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Madrid (2019), and the Munich Security Conference (2023 and 2024).

Mr. Iqbal earned his B.Sc. in Industrial & Production Engineering from BUET and has pursued advanced diplomatic training in Bangladesh and abroad including at the Foreign Service Academy, Dhaka, and the Clingendael Institute, The Hague. He is married and blessed with two children.

As Consul General in Los Angeles, his priorities are to strengthen Bangladesh–US economic, cultural, and academic ties; to promote cooperation in technology, climate resilience, and sustainable development; and to actively engage with the Bangladeshi community while branding Bangladesh and exploring opportunities in Los Angeles and the concurrently accredited regions of the United States.