Ransford Smith
Encyclopedia
Ransford Smith is a senior public servant from Jamaica
, and is the Deputy Secretary-General
(Economic) of the Commonwealth of Nations
.
Smith was appointed Deputy Secretary-General of the Commonwealth in August 2006.
A career diplomat of nearly 30 years standing in the Jamaican Public and Foreign Service, Mr Smith previously served as Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Commerce and Technology, and also Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Industry and Investment. His diplomatic career has included postings at the Jamaican Embassy in Washington, D.C., and the Jamaican Mission to the United Nations in New York.
Smith is the first Jamaican to serve as a Commonwealth Deputy-Secretary General. He was the Permanent Representative of Jamaica to the Office of the United Nations and its specialised agencies in Geneva, Rome and Vienna. Mr Smith was also Ambassador of Jamaica to the World Trade Organisation (WTO), and served as Ambassador to a number of European countries.
He has extensive experience of participation in multilateral economic and development bodies. He was Chairman of the WTO Committee on Trade and Development (2000–01), Chairman of the Commonwealth Group of Developing Countries in Geneva (2001–02), and President of the Trade and Development Board of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
(UNCTAD) (2005–06).
He has led Jamaican delegations to international conferences, including the Doha Ministerial Conference of the WTO. He was also Chief Negotiator and Spokesperson for the Group of 77 and China at UNCTAD XI in June 2004.
Smith has an MA in International Relations and an MBA in Financial Management. He was appointed a Commander of the Order of Distinction in Jamaica for outstanding service in Foreign Affairs in 2005.
The Commonwealth Secretariat have given permission for this biography to be used on wikipedia.
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
, and is the Deputy Secretary-General
Commonwealth Deputy Secretary-General
Two Commonwealth Deputy Secretaries-General assist the Secretary-General in running the Commonwealth Secretariat, which is the central institution of the Commonwealth of Nations...
(Economic) of the Commonwealth of Nations
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
.
Smith was appointed Deputy Secretary-General of the Commonwealth in August 2006.
A career diplomat of nearly 30 years standing in the Jamaican Public and Foreign Service, Mr Smith previously served as Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Commerce and Technology, and also Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Industry and Investment. His diplomatic career has included postings at the Jamaican Embassy in Washington, D.C., and the Jamaican Mission to the United Nations in New York.
Smith is the first Jamaican to serve as a Commonwealth Deputy-Secretary General. He was the Permanent Representative of Jamaica to the Office of the United Nations and its specialised agencies in Geneva, Rome and Vienna. Mr Smith was also Ambassador of Jamaica to the World Trade Organisation (WTO), and served as Ambassador to a number of European countries.
He has extensive experience of participation in multilateral economic and development bodies. He was Chairman of the WTO Committee on Trade and Development (2000–01), Chairman of the Commonwealth Group of Developing Countries in Geneva (2001–02), and President of the Trade and Development Board of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development was established in 1964 as a permanent intergovernmental body. It is the principal organ of the United Nations General Assembly dealing with trade, investment, and development issues....
(UNCTAD) (2005–06).
He has led Jamaican delegations to international conferences, including the Doha Ministerial Conference of the WTO. He was also Chief Negotiator and Spokesperson for the Group of 77 and China at UNCTAD XI in June 2004.
Smith has an MA in International Relations and an MBA in Financial Management. He was appointed a Commander of the Order of Distinction in Jamaica for outstanding service in Foreign Affairs in 2005.
Footnote
The Commonwealth Secretariat have given permission for this biography to be used on wikipedia.
- Statement by Mr Smith at The High Level Plenary Meeting of the General Assembly on the Millennium Development Goals. United Nations, New York, 22 September 2010.
- Statement of the President of the Trade and Development Board, H.E. Ambassador Ransford Smith (Jamaica),to the Special High-Level Meeting with the Bretton Woods Institutions, WTO and UNCTAD.