Product Code Database
Sir Shridath Surendranath Ramphal OM (3 October 1928 – 30 August 2024), often known as Sir Sonny Ramphal, was a Guyanese politician who was the second Commonwealth Secretary-General, holding the position from 1975 to 1990. He was also the foreign minister of Guyana from 1972 to 1975, and assistant attorney general of the West Indies Federation from 1958 to 1962.
Ramphal was an Earth Charter International Commission member.
Ramphal started his legal career as a Crown Counsel in the Attorney-General's Office in 1953, becoming Solicitor-General and then Assistant Attorney-General of the short-lived West Indies Federation. After a period in private practice in Jamaica, he returned to British Guiana in 1965 to be the Attorney General. Two years later, he was also appointed Minister of State in the Ministry of External Affairs, later becoming Minister of Justice (from 1973) and Minister of Foreign Affairs (from 1972). In 1975, he left Guyana to become Commonwealth Secretary-General.
He also served as the Chancellor of the University of Warwick from 1989 to 2002, of the University of the West Indies from 1989 to 2003, and of the University of Guyana from 1990 to 1992.
During Ramphal's time as Commonwealth Secretary-General, the United Kingdom represented by Margaret Thatcher was found to be in a minority of one on the issue of economic sanctions against apartheid South Africa.
With Ingvar Carlsson, he was in 1995 one of the co-chairs of the Commission on Global Governance, which reported on issues of international development, international security, globalization and global governance.
Ramphal died on 30 August 2024, at the age of 95.
On 26 February 1982, Ramphal was appointed an honorary Companion of the Order of Australia (AC). Australia: It's an Honour On 6 February 1990, Ramphal was the 19th appointee to the Order of New Zealand,"Honours and Awards" (15 February 1990), 23 New Zealand Gazette 445 at 446. New Zealand's highest civil honour. He was decorated as a Member of the Order of the Caribbean Community (OCC) in the first conferment in 1992. In May 2006 Ramphal was appointed an Honorary Fellow of Royal Society of Arts. He was a vice-president of the Royal Commonwealth Society. The Ramphal Building at the University of Warwick was named in his honour.
In 2002, Rampal was awarded the Indira Gandhi Peace Prize. The Tribune dated 13 April 2003, accessed 2 November 2006. In 2003, he was awarded the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman by the President of India.
|
|
