Tommy Koh Thong BeeDUNUDUBCPJGBBM (Chinese:许通美;pinyin:Xǔ Tōngměi; born 12 November 1937) is aSingaporean diplomat, lawyer, professor and author who served asSingapore'sPermanent Representative to the United Nations between 1968 and 1971.

Koh was born in Singapore on 12 November 1937. His father was originally fromTong'an,Fujian and his mother was fromShanghai. He attended fromSerangoon Secondary School andRaffles Institution before graduating from the University of Malaya in Singapore (now theNational University of Singapore) with aBachelor of Laws with first class honours degree.

He subsequently went on to complete aMaster of Laws degree atHarvard University, where he was classmate with Ngiam Tong Dow,^[1] and aGraduate Diploma incriminology at theUniversity of Cambridge.

He was conferred a full professorship in 1977. Koh was awarded honoraryDoctor of Laws degrees fromYale University,Monash University, and theNational University of Singapore. He has also received awards fromColumbia University,Stanford University,Georgetown University, theFletcher School of Law and Diplomacy atTufts University, andCurtin University.

Koh is aninternational law professor, action andAmbassador-at-Large for theSingaporean government. He presently serves as Special Adviser at theInstitute of Policy Studies,^[2] Chairman of theNational Heritage Board, Chairman of the Governing Board of theCentre for International Law, and Rector of Tembusu College at theNational University of Singapore. He is on secondment from theNational University of Singapore Faculty of Law.^[3]

Koh was President of theThird United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea, 1980–1982. Lax and Sebenius present Koh and his efforts in getting the Convention passed, as an example of successful negotiating.^[4] 1990 to 1992 he served as Chairman of the Main Committee of theUN Conference on Environment and Development, where he presided over the negotiations onAgenda 21. He has also served as Singapore's ambassador to the United Nations andthe United States.

Koh was the first Executive Director of theAsia-Europe Foundation (ASEF), established in Singapore in 1997 by the countries of theAsia-Europe Meeting (ASEM).

On 9 August 2008, Koh was conferred with theOrder of Nila Utama (First Class) by the Singaporean government for his outstanding contributions in the Singapore legislative team representing Singapore in thePedra Branca dispute case with the Malaysian government.^[5]

In 2014, Koh received the Great Negotiator Award from Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School for his multiple contributions to diplomacy, most notably his work as chief negotiator for the United States–Singapore Free Trade Agreement, his work around developing the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, his important efforts in resolving territorial and humanitarian disputes in the Baltics and Asia, and his success in leading both the Third UN Conference on the Law of the Sea and the UN Conference on Environment and Development (also known as the Rio Earth Summit).

In September 2018, via a Facebook post, Tommy Koh encouraged the LGBT communities of Singapore to challengeSection 377A of the Penal Code which criminalise same-sex intercourse between men.^[6][7]

Koh is on the panel of mediators forSingapore International Mediation Centre (SIMC).

• Tommy Koh,Constitution of the Oceans, UNCLOS December 1982, accessed 20 May 2017
• Tommy Koh,Five Years After Rio:Some Personal Reflections, UN Chronicle 1997, accessed atEssay 29 August 2006
• Tommy T.B. Koh and Amitav Acharya (ed.),The Quest for World Order: Perspectives of a Pragmatic Idealist, Times Academic Press, Singapore, 1997ISBN 981-210-108-X
• Tommy Koh,Five Years After Rio:Some Personal Reflections, UN Chronicle 1997, accessed atEssay 29 August 2006
• Tommy Koh (2013).The Tommy Koh Reader: Favourite Essays and Lectures. World Scientific, 2013. p. 640.doi:10.1142/8999.ISBN 978-981-4571-07-4.
• Tommy Koh, Li Lin Chang and Joanna Koh (2015).50 Years of Singapore and the United Nations. World Scientific, 2015. p. 384.doi:10.1142/9729.ISBN 978-981-4713-03-0.
• Tommy Koh, Sharon Li-Lian Seah and Li Lin Chang (2017).50 Years of ASEAN and Singapore. World Scientific, 2017. p. 444.doi:10.1142/10572.ISBN 9789813225121.
• Tommy Koh and Li Lin Chang (2005).The Little Red Dot. World Scientific, 2005. p. 504.doi:10.1142/5893 (inactive 1 November 2024).ISBN 9789812564146.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of November 2024 (link)
• Koh, Tommy (2020).Fifty Secrets of Singapore's Success. Straits Times Press.^[8]
• Tommy T.B. Koh & Hernaikh Singh (eds),India On Our Minds: Essays By Tharman Shanmugaratnam And 50 Singaporean Friends Of India, World Scientific Publishing, 2021.
• Tommy Koh, Lin Heng Lye and Shawn Lum (eds).Peace with Nature: 50 Inspiring Essays on Nature and the Environment. World Scientific, 2023.

• 1961: Adrian Clarke Memorial Medal, University of Malaya (Singapore).^[9]
• 1961: Leow Chia Heng Prize, University of Malaya (Singapore).^[9]
• 1963: Fulbright Student, Master of Laws (LLM), Harvard University.^[9]
• 1971:Public Service Star (Bintang Bakti Masyarakat), Singapore.^[10]
• 1976: International Visitors Leadership Program (IVLP), Washington DC.
• 1979: Meritorious Service Medal (Pingat Jasa Gemilang), Singapore.^[10]
• 1984: Wolfgang Friedman Award,Columbia University Law School, New York.^[10]
• 1984: HonoraryDoctor of Laws (LL.D), Yale University,Connecticut.^[11]
• 1985: Jackson H. Ralston Prize,Stanford Law School, California.^[10]
• 1985: Annual Award of the Asia Society, New York.^[10]
• 1987: International Service Award,Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy,Tufts University, USA.^[10]
• 1987: Jit Trainor Award for Distinction in Diplomacy,Georgetown University, USA.^[10]
• 1990: Distinguished Service Order Award (Darjah Utama Bakti Cemerlang),Singapore.^[10]
• 1993: Commander,Order of the Golden Ark, The Netherlands.^[10]
• 1996: Elizabeth Haub Prize for Environmental Law,University of Brussels.^[10]
• 1997: Grand Cross of the Order ofBernardo O'Higgins, Chile.^[10]
• 1998: Fok Ying Tung Southeast Asia Prize, Fok Ying Tung Foundation,Hong Kong (29 May).^[10]
• 2000: Commander, First Class, of theOrder of the Lion of Finland.^[10]
• 2000: John Curtin Medal,Curtin University of Technology, Western Australia.^[10]
• 2000: Grand Officer,Order of Merit of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.^[10]
• 2000: Distinguished Service to Arts Education,LASALLE-SIA College Award.^[10]
• 2001: Officer in theLégion d'honneur, President of the French Republic.^[10]
• 2002: HonoraryDoctor of Laws (LL.D),Monash University,Melbourne,Victoria,Australia.^[11]
• 2003: Peace and Commerce Award for efforts at building trade links with the United States.^[10]
• 2004: Outstanding Service Award,National University of Singapore on 12 May.
• 2004:Encomienda of Isabel la Catolica, from His MajestyKing Juan Carlos of Spain on 24 May.^[9]
• 2006:Champions of the Earth, United Nations Environment Programme.^[10]
• 2006:President's Award for the Environment,Singapore.^[12]
• 2006: Build A Better World Award,CH2M Hill.^[13]
• 2007: Watermark Honorary Award,Public Utilities Board,Singapore.^[14]
• 2007: Tatler Leadership Award for Lifetime Achievement, Singapore Tatler magazine.
• 2008:Order of Nila Utama (First Class), Singapore.^[10]
• 2008: Onassis Distinguished Scholars Award, Rhodes Academy of Oceans Law and Policy,Rhodes,Greece.^[9][11][15]
• 2009:Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star, 2009 (Japan).^[16]
• 2014:Great Negotiator Award, 2014 (Harvard Law School/Harvard Kennedy School).^[10][17]
• 2017: Mochtar Kusumaatmadja Award (Inaugural),Indonesia.^[18]
• 2018:Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian honour.^[10][19]
• 2020:World Toilet Organization (WTO) Hall of Fame Award.^[20]
• 2022: HonoraryDoctor of Laws (LL.D),National University of Singapore (NUS).^[21]
• 2023: ASIANSIL Paik Choong-Hyun Prize, Asian Society of International Law.^[22]
• 2024: Adinata Award, Indonesia.^[23]

• The Art and Science of Chairing Major Inter-governmental Conferences in theLecture Series of the United Nations Audiovisual Library of International Law
• The Negotiating Process of UNCLOS III in theLecture Series of the United Nations Audiovisual Library of International Law
• Straits Used for International Navigation in theLecture Series of the United Nations Audiovisual Library of International Law

Tommy Koh is married to Poh Siew Aing. They have two sons,Aun and Wei.^[24]

• Practical idealism
• Koh, Buck Song (1996), Interview with Professor Tommy Koh inThe Arts in Singapore, 1996, Singapore: National Arts Council and Accent Communications.

• Bio details at Institute of Policy Studies, Singapore

• 1937 births
• Academic staff of the National University of Singapore Faculty of Law
• Ambassadors of Singapore to the United States
• Commanders First Class of the Order of the Lion of Finland
• Grand Officers of the Order of Merit of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
• Harvard Law School alumni
• Living people
• Recipients of the Darjah Utama Bakti Cemerlang
• Recipients of the Darjah Utama Nila Utama
• Permanent representatives of Singapore to the United Nations
• Raffles Institution alumni
• Recipients of the Order of the Rising Sun, 2nd class
• Saint Joseph's Institution, Singapore alumni
• Singaporean diplomats
• 20th-century Singaporean lawyers
• Singaporean people of Hokkien descent
• Recipients of the Padma Shri in public affairs
• 21st-century Singaporean lawyers

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• CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of November 2024