Earle Courtenay Rattray (born October 21, 1959) is a

Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

diplomat A diplomat (from ; romanization, romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state (polity), state, International organization, intergovernmental, or Non-governmental organization, nongovernmental institution to conduct diplomacy with one ...

who has been serving as the United Nations High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States since 2021.Secretary-General Appoints Courtenay Rattray of Jamaica High Representative for Least Developed, Landlocked Countries, Small Island Developing States
�

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

, press release of April 26, 2021.

Early life and education

Rattray holds a Master of Arts degree from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at

Tufts University Tufts University is a private research university in Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts, United States, with additional facilities in Boston and Grafton, as well as Talloires, France. Tufts also has several Doctor of Physical Therapy p ...

, a Master of Arts in International Business from the

London South Bank University London South Bank University (LSBU) is a public university in Elephant and Castle, London. It is based in the London Borough of Southwark, near the South Bank of the River Thames, from which it takes its name. Founded in 1892 as the Borough Po ...

and a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies from West Virginia Wesleyan College. He was awarded a Doctor of Humane Letters (Honoris Causa) by West Virginia Wesleyan College.

Early career

Before he joined the foreign service, Rattray served as Executive Director of the Jamaica Marketing Company in London (1990–1997) and Director of Marketing and Promotions at the Jamaica National Export Corporation in Kingston (1987–1988).

Career in the diplomatic service

*From 2001 to 2005 he was Deputy Chief of Jamaica's Embassy in Washington, D.C. *From 2005 to 2008 he was Director of the Bilateral Relations Department in the Ministry of Industry and Investment, in Kingston. *From 2008 to April 25, 2013 he was ambassador in

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

. From 2013 until 2021, Rattray served as Jamaica's Permanent Representative to the

Headquarters of the United Nations , image = Midtown Manhattan Skyline 004 (cropped).jpg , image_size = 275px , caption = View of the complex from Long Island City in 2021; from left to right: the Secretariat, Conference, and General Assembly buil ...

. In this capacity, he chaired the United Nations General Assembly First Committee. In December 2021, he was appointed Chef de Cabinet to the UN Secretary General

António Guterres António Manuel de Oliveira Guterres (born 30 April 1949) is a Portuguese politician and diplomat who is serving as the ninth and current secretary-general of the United Nations since 2017. A member of the Socialist Party (Portugal), ...

References

1959 births Living people Alumni of London South Bank University Ambassadors of Jamaica to China Permanent representatives of Jamaica to the United Nations {{Jamaica-diplomat-stub