Jamaica’s Ambassador to Japan and a career diplomat, Shorna-Kay Richards, has been appointed to serve on the United Nations (UN) Secretary General’s Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters (ABDM), effective this month.

The board which consists of 15 members, was established in 1978 to advise the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, on issues pertaining to arm limitation and disarmament.

In a post on Facebook, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade lauded Richards for achieving a milestone of this magnitude and further representing Jamaica on an international stage.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade would like to congratulate our Ambassador to Japan, Ms Shorna-Kay Richards on her appointment by the UN Secretary General, as a member of the Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters,” the statement read. “We wish her every success as she executes this very important assignment.”

In her response on Twitter, Richard noted that she was honoured to be appointed by the UN Secretary-General to serve on his Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters.

Richards further noted that she looks forward to supporting the work of the UN in the area of arms limitations and disarmament towards international peace, security, and development.

During her career tenure, Richards worked as a Deputy Permanent Representative of Jamaica to the UN, as well as in the Permanent Mission to the Organization of American States (OAS) in Washington, DC.

She also served on the Jamaican High Commission in Pretoria.

Additionally, Richards has experience in the International Security and Disarmament Commission and is a facilitator of Arms Trade Treaty negotiations.

Furthermore, Richards was a lead negotiator in the UN’s nuclear ban treaty process and has been active in negotiations concerning the ocean and the law of the sea.