Jamaican diplomat Shorna-Kay Richards appointed to UN Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters
KINGSTON, Jamaica – Jamaica’s Ambassador to Japan, Shorna-Kay Richards has been appointed to the 15-member United Nations (UN) Secretary General’s Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters (ABDM).
The announcement was made by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade in a tweet on the weekend.
The Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters was established in 1978, and members are appointed by UN Secretary-General António Gutterres.
The members are tasked with advising the secretary-general on matters within the area of arms limitation and disarmament, including on studies and research under the auspices of the UN or institutions within the UN system, among other functions.
Reacting to the news of Richard’s appointment, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Kamina Johnson-Smith, said the ministry was proud of the new duties assigned to the career diplomat.
“… We look forward to the contribution she (Richards) will make in this capacity, given her sound knowledge and experience in this arena,” tweeted Johnson-Smith on Sunday.
For her part, Richards tweeted that she was “honoured to be appointed by the UN Secretary-General to serve on his Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters as of Jan. [January] 2022.”
She added: “I look forward to supporting the work of the @UN in the area of arms limitation & disarmament towards int’l peace, security & development.”
As a career diplomat, Richards has been a member of the foreign service for over 25 years.
She was previously assigned as Deputy
Permanent Representative of Jamaica to the United Nations, and the permanent mission to the Organisation of American States (OAS) in Washington, DC, as well as at Jamaican High Commission in Pretoria.
At the multilateral level, Richards has worked extensively in the field of international security and disarmament, having served as vice-chair of the UN Disarmament Commission, and was also a facilitator for the Arms Trade Treaty negotiations, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade said in a release last year announcing Richard’s appointment as Ambassador-designate to Japan.
Additionally, Richards has served as lead negotiator in the UN Nuclear Ban Treaty process and was also actively engaged in negotiations on oceans and the law of the sea, the ministry said.