New Deputy Secretary-General Aims to Enhance Economic and Social Development

The new Commonwealth Deputy Secretary-General, Ransford Smith, who oversees economic and social development affairs, is determined to strengthen the work of the Commonwealth Secretariat to enhance the socio-economic progress of member states, particularly developing countries.

“It’s a great pleasure for me to begin work here at the Commonwealth Secretariat,” said Mr Smith in an interview with the Commonwealth News and Information Service on 16 August 2006 during his first day in office.

"I expect to contribute to the excellent work that the Commonwealth has been doing in assisting developing member countries, as well as ensuring that the entire Commonwealth family is fully and effectively a part of the wide ranging developmental efforts of the global community.”

Mr Smith, who succeeded Winston Cox of Barbados as Deputy Secretary-General, stated he intends to continue to extend and deepen the scope of the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Co-operation (CFTC) which is managed by the Secretariat. He said the CFTC has been making a valuable contribution to the development needs of member states in international trade; enterprise development; investment, including the development of natural resources; debt management; public sector reform; health and education; as well as gender equality.

The new Deputy Secretary-General is a career diplomat of nearly 30 years’ standing in the Jamaican Public and Foreign Service. He 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 DC, as well as the Jamaican Mission to the United Nations in New York.

Mr Smith is the first Jamaican to serve as a Commonwealth Deputy-Secretary General. He was formerly 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 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.

Fifty-seven-year-old Mr 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.

Key Links:

• CFTC