Ransford Smith

Ransford Smith (born 23 July 1949), is a senior public servant from Jamaica, and is currently the Deputy Secretary-General (Economic) of the Commonwealth of Nations.

Ransford Smith was appointed Deputy Secretary-General of the Commonwealth in August 2006.A career diplomat of nearly 30 years standing in the Jamaican Public and Foreign Service, Mr Smith 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.