The award, made April 25 by the UWI’s Council and Senate, will be formally bestowed during an October ceremony at its St Augustine Campus, Trinidad and Tobago.
Sir Ronald has lived and shared his life principally in three countries: Guyana, where he was born and grew up; Antigua and Barbuda, of which he is also a citizen; and the United Kingdom, where he attended university and became an influential voice in British-Caribbean relations while serving twice as High Commissioner for Antigua and Barbuda.
He had earlier served as deputy permanent representative to the United Nations for Antigua and Barbuda and its ambassador to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and also filled numerous positions in global diplomatic and trading entities as the Caribbean struggled to safeguard its interests and wrest a fairer deal from powerful global interests, including the Unites States of America.
While his sterling services were initially focused on advancing the interests of Commonwealth Caribbean countries, his undoubted talents eventually propelled him into widespread global involvement. He is an acknowledged expert on the Commonwealth of Nations, performed the critical role of rapporteur within the Eminent Persons Group appointed by Commonwealth heads of government to report and make recommendations on reform of the Commonwealth, is senior research fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies at University of London, and continues to be involved in many other spheres of international relations affecting both governmental stream and the private sector.
At the invitation of former US President Jimmy Carter, Sir Ronald became a member of “The Friends of the Democratic Charter” in October 2011 (to present time).
Sir Ronald has produced many books and publications and his prolific writings include a weekly commentary that is carried in major newspapers in every Commonwealth Caribbean country. These commentaries are also published in more than a dozen internet news websites, including Caribbean News Now, with audiences of millions worldwide; and are often reproduced by publications in other parts of the world.
