Robert Fowler (diplomat)

Robert R. Fowler OC (born 18 August 1944) is a Canadian diplomat and was the special envoy of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to Niger from mid-2008-2009, to find a solution to the conflict in Agadez region.

On 14 December 2008 he was reported missing and was last seen about 45 kilometres (28 mi) northwest of the capital Niamey. Fowler, along with several Westerners, was eventually freed on 21 April 2009.

Born in Ottawa, Fowler initially attended McGill University where he was a member of The Kappa Alpha Society, then earned a B.A. from Queen's University in 1968. He taught English at the National University of Rwanda and served as an Administrative Trainee in the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). In 1969, he began his diplomatic career as a Foreign Service Officer in the Department of External Affairs. Throughout the 1970s he held various postings in Ottawa (1969-71), Paris (1971-73), and at UN Headquarters in New York (1967-1978), where he served as a member of the Security Council Team during Canada's term on the council.

In 1978, he was appointed Executive Assistant to the Under Secretary of State for External Affairs, Allan Gotlieb. Starting in May 1980, he worked as Assistant Secretary to the Cabinet (Foreign and Defence Policy) in the Privy Council Office, a position from which he advised Prime Ministers Trudeau, Turner and Mulroney on foreign policy, defence, and development issues. In 1986, Fowler was appointed Assistant Deputy Minister for Policy in the Department of National Defence, and then as Deputy Minister of National Defence in May 1989.

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