M. PATRICIA DURRANT
Director
Ambassador the Honourable M. Patricia Durrant, O.J. C.D. was appointed in April 2002 as the first United Nations Ombudsman by Secretary-General Kofi Annan. As United Nations Ombudsman, she was responsible for the informal resolution of conflicts and mediation of issues involving United Nations staff around the world. She served in that capacity for five years at the level of Assistant Secretary-General, from July 2002 to July 2007.
A career diplomat since 1971, she was accredited as Permanent Representative of Jamaica to the United Nations from 1995 to 2002. She served previously as Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations from 1983 to 1987.
Between those two stints, she served as Jamaica's Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Germany and non-resident Ambassador to the Holy See, Israel, the Netherlands and Switzerland as well as Director-General of Jamaica's Foreign Ministry.
As Jamaica's Ambassador to the United Nations, she also represented Jamaica on the Security Council from 2000 to 2001. She was also Chair of the Preparatory Committee for the United Nations General Assembly’s Special Session on Children and the Consultative Committee for the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM); President of the high-level committee on technical co-operation among developing countries, and Vice-Chair of the Preparatory Committee of the Special Session of the General Assembly on Population and Development.
Prior to her first UN assignment, she served in the Political Division of Jamaica's Foreign Ministry, as Assistant Director and Deputy Director. She has also served as Minister-Counsellor at Jamaica's Permanent Mission to the Organization of American States.
Patricia holds a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Diploma in International Relations from the University of the West Indies, as well as a Diploma in Overseas Development Studies from the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom. She is also the recipient of the Degree of Doctor of Humane Letters from the College of New Rochelle, New York and the Degree of Doctor of Laws from the University of the West Indies.
In 1992, she was awarded the Order of Distinction in the rank of Commander (C.D.) and in 2000, the Order of Jamaica (O.J.) for services to Jamaica in the field of international affairs.
In ????, she was appointed to the Board of the St. Andrew High School Foundation.