Rena Lee

Rena Lee is a seasoned practitioner of international law with extensive experience as a government legal adviser, diplomat, and international negotiator. Appointed Singapore’s Ambassador for International Law in 2023, she previously served as Ambassador for Oceans and Law of the Sea Issues and Special Envoy to the Minister for Foreign Affairs. In this role, she was elected President of the United Nations Intergovernmental Conference on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ). Over five years, she led complex negotiations that culminated in the consensus adoption of a landmark international agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Ambassador Lee also served as a member of the Legal and Technical Commission of the International Seabed Authority from 2017 to 2022. With more than three decades of experience advising the Singapore Government through the Attorney-General’s Chambers and the Ministry of Defence, her expertise spans the law of the sea, climate change and environmental law, international humanitarian law, and human rights law. She is also a member of the Permanent Court of Arbitration.