Albert Ramdin

Secretary General of the Organization of American States

After completing his second term at the Organization of American States in 2015, Ambassador Albert Ramchand Ramdin returned to support the development of his native Suriname. He advised the Minister of Foreign Affairs on strategic policy issues, later joined a U.S.-based international mining company, and currently serves as Suriname’s Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Ambassador Ramdin has over 25 years of experience in international negotiation, multilateral diplomacy, development assistance, public policy, strategic trade and business facilitation, project management, and fundraising, with recognized expertise in competitiveness. He has worked on institutional reform across government, civil society, and the private sector, and maintains an extensive network of contacts at the highest levels across the Americas.

At the OAS, he led pioneering initiatives such as the inaugural private sector dialogue with the Permanent Council, the first Americas-Africa Business Forum, and high-level meetings with Central American and Caribbean CEOs to boost trade and competitiveness. He also advanced Caribbean debt restructuring efforts, promoted sustainable practices that cut paper use at OAS General Assemblies by 95%, and authored proposals on education and public health, including the creation of the Inter-American Task Force on Non-Communicable Diseases. Beyond his public service, he has contributed to the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative and chaired the Mining Group in Trade and Business.