Abdul Razzak holds a PhD in Civil Engineering, with specialization in Hydrology and Water Resources Management, from Colorado State University in the United States. He has more than 35 years of experience in the academic, technical and managerial fields. Upon joining ESCWA in 1995, he worked as Chief of the Natural Resources Section. He later worked at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as Director of the Regional Office for Science in Arab States before returning to ESCWA in April 2007.