The position was a natural fit for Singh who won praise for his work with the 1994 International Conference on Racsim and Population in Cairo. He also edited "Creating a New Consensus on Population", a 1998 text hailed by critics as incerdibly valauable as it was written from the vantage point of a crucial insider. The book examines the process of the Cairo conference.

Jack Freeman, of the Earth Times said about the book, "ICPD was unique among UN conferences and surely Jyoti Shankar Singh is unique among international bureaucrats: He not only commands an extraordinary grasp of the intricacies of the UN system of diplomacy and how it works, but also maintains his sense of humor in the face of its absurdities."

Last year Singh edited "South to South," a book which was born of the Partners in Population and Development, an initiative aimed at exchanging population-related expertise and experience among developing nations. Inter Press service described the publication as "a collection of essays coverning several related subjects including an historical overview of the coneptual framework of South-South cooperation and a reveiew of the progress and challenges in realizing gnder equality and empowerment of women."

Singh's career in international and political matters started in his youth, when he was a member of the World Assembly of Youth in India A vocal and active member, Singh managed their meetings all over the world and attended a number of youth assemblies abroad.

Singh who lives in New York is orignally from Madhya Pradesh in India and gradauted from Benares Hindu University in Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh. He is a veteran UN dignitary who held a variety of high-level positions before recently retiring. After the conference Singh plans to concentrate again on his writing and will also work as a consultant for the United Nations.