Statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation on the passing of Sir Shridath Surendranath “Sonny” Ramphal
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation learnt with deep sadness of the passing, earlier today, 30 August 2024, of Sir Shridath Ramphal.
Sir Shridath was a distinguished son of Guyana, a committed Caribbean man, a regional integrationist and icon, and a respected international statesman.
He served as Guyana’s first Minister of State in the Ministry of External Affairs and Minister of Foreign Affairs during the formative years of our nationhood. In that role he was instrumental in establishing the foundations and general architecture of Guyana’s diplomacy and foreign policy. This he helped forge in the most challenging of times for our young nation.
Sir Shridath’s tenure as Foreign Minister was marked by notable accomplishments for Guyana’s diplomacy. The first meeting of Foreign Ministers of the Non-Aligned Movement in the Western Hemisphere was held in Georgetown in 1972. Guyana and three other countries – Barbados, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago – established diplomatic relations with Cuba in 1972. Guyana became the first country from the English-speaking Caribbean to serve on the United Nations Security Council (1975-1976). The Africa, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States was founded via the Georgetown Agreement in 1975.
Sir Shridath was an avowed regionalist, who longed to bring the nations of CARICOM closer together and to build bridges with the wider Caribbean. He was a key architect of the process of regional integration that culminated in the founding of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) in 1973, which, fifty-one years later, stands the oldest integration movement in the developing world.
He subsequently headed the celebrated West Indian Commission which, in 1992, produced a seminal report “A Time for Action”. Among the many outcomes of that important process of reflection was the emergence of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS) in 1994, which, just this year, celebrated 30 years of existence. The ACS links CARICOM with important partners in South and Central America and the wider Caribbean.
Sir Shridath’s contributions were not limited to the national and regional domains. He became the longest serving Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, holding the reins of that organisation from 1975 to 1990. In the exercise of that office, he played a pivotal role in mobilising the Commonwealth and the world against the injustices of apartheid and institutional racism in Southern Africa and was witness to the liberation of Zimbabwe from white minority rule and the eventual end of the apartheid system in South Africa.
His diplomatic and intellectual stature led to calls to serve the wider international community in many fields, roles which he executed always with singular distinction and an abiding sense of purpose. He served on numerous International Commissions including the Brandt Commission on Development, Palme Commission on Disarmament; World Commission on Environment and Development, Independent Commission on International Humanitarian Issues; the South Commission on the major problems facing Third World countries and the Commission on Global Governance. He also served as Chancellor of the University of Guyana, the University of the West Indies and the University of Warwick, bring his distinguished imprint to those institutions of learning.
Throughout his service to the world, and amidst his many and wide-ranging engagements, his love for his homeland remained undiminished and he contributed in multifaceted ways to our country’s evolution. At the time of his passing, Sir Shridath was one of Guyana’s Co-Agents in the case before the International Court of Justice concerning the Arbitral Award of 3 October 1899 (Guyana v. Venezuela), having been the last surviving witness to the signing of the 1966 Geneva Agreement concerning the Frontier between British Guiana and Venezuela.
He has left a monumental legacy of service, distinguished by excellence and commitment to the cause of human justice and to the progress of all peoples. Among the many testaments of his rich legacy is “Ramphal House” which forms an integral part of our Ministry complex and the conferment of our nation’s highest honour, the Order of Excellence.
The Honourable Hugh Hilton Todd, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, and Staff of the Ministry are at one in extending our heartfelt condolences to the family and loved ones of Sir Shridath and to all who have been touched by his passing. We also record our profound gratitude for his unparalleled service to the Ministry, to Guyana, to the Caribbean, and to the world.
May his soul rest in peace!
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation
30 August 2024