News
Tommy Koh, 88, retires from MFA after 55 years
Thank you for your service.
August 08, 2026, 12:12 PM
Photos from Tommy Koh/Facebook.
Ambassador-at-large at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), Tommy Koh, will retire from the ministry at the end of August 2026 after "55 happy years" of service.
He announced his retirement in a Facebook post on Aug. 7.
Retiring after 55 years
In his post, Koh, 88, said he had served under every foreign minister since Singapore's first foreign minister, S. Rajaratnam.
"I will be retiring from MFA at the end of this month.
At the MFA National Day Observance, Foreign Minister Dr Vivian Balakrishnan presented me with the inaugural lifetime distinguished service award.
Second Foreign Minister Sim Ann paid a very kind and generous tribute to me."
However, he added that he does not intend to retire fully.
"From the 1st of September, I (will) be based at the NUS Centre for International Law," he wrote.
He is currently emeritus professor of law at NUS.
In an Instagram post the same day, Vivian said he was "honoured" to confer Koh with the award.
Koh's legacy "extends far beyond the milestones he helped achieve", he said.
"Through his intellectual rigour, integrity, generosity of spirit and unwavering commitment to Singapore, he has inspired generations of MFA officers.
His example will continue to guide Singapore's diplomacy for years to come."
Who is Tommy Koh?
A veteran diplomat, international lawyer and academic, Koh has held several of Singapore's most prominent diplomatic appointments, including Permanent Representative to the United Nations and Ambassador to the United States.
He is also widely recognised for his role as the president of Third United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and for helping to draft the Asean charter.
Among Koh's most notable roles was representing Singapore in the Pedra Branca dispute with Malaysia before the International Court of Justice in 2003 and 2017.
In 2025, he published a memoir of his years in service to Singapore, in which he described himself as "a lawyer with only one client" — that client being Singapore.
“I am certainly not a genius. I have been successful because I have been given the opportunity, by Singapore and by the United Nations, to serve," he told Mothership at the time.
Outside of his work in MFA, Koh was founding rector of NUS' Tembusu College, chairman of the Centre for International Law in NUS, and former dean of the NUS Faculty of Law.
He continues to hold advisory roles at the university, including with the Asia Research Institute and the Institute of Policy Studies.
Koh is also a patron of the arts, heritage, and environment.
He was formerly chairman of the National Heritage Board (NHB) and the Chinese Heritage Centre, and was named "Champion of the Earth" in 2006 by the United Nations Environment Programme for his contributions to international environmental cooperation.
