On November 15, the Cabinet of Barbados approved Matthew Wilson to become Barbados’ Ambassador-Designate/Permanent Representative to the United Nations Office as well as other International Organisations in Geneva.
Following a briefing with Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Kerrie Symmonds; Minister of State in Foreign Trade and Business, Sandra Husbands; Permanent Secretary, Simone Rudder and Director of Foreign Trade, Kay Sealy, this morning at the Ministry, Mr. Wilson noted that he felt privileged to be returning to the Government of Barbados in such a critical role.
Ambassador-Designate Wilson, stated: “I am honoured to have been appointed to this role at this critical time in Barbados’ development journey. As the country, like the rest of the world, continues to grapple with a series of crises, we need a foreign and trade policy which is innovative, focused on delivering for Barbados as a small island developing state, but which also contributes to the global commons. I am pleased to be part of this vision and contribute to improving opportunities for the people of Barbados in the areas of trade, labour, health, development and human rights issues.”
Mr. Wilson has over 20 years of experience in trade and development. Apart from being a Foreign Service Officer at the Permanent Mission of Barbados to the United Nations and other international organisations from 2002 to 2009, he has also held senior roles at the World Trade Organization. These included Deputy Aid for Trade Coordinator from 2009 to 2011, and Senior Adviser and Counsellor to the World Trade Organization Director General, from 2011 to 2013, where he focused on development issues.
In addition, from 2013 to 2021, he was Chief of Staff at the International Trade Centre and then Chief of Partnerships from 2021 to 2022, also with a focus on diversity and inclusion issues.
Ambassador-Designate Wilson, holds a BSc. in Psychology and Sociology from The University of the West Indies (UWI), as well as post-graduate degrees in International Relations from The UWI, Development Studies from the University of Bath and an MBA Essentials from the London School of Economics.