Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana
Dr Leslie Ramsammy is currently the Ambassador/ Permanent Representative of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana to Switzerland, accredited to the United Nations and the World Trade Organisation in Geneva.
Dr. Leslie Ramsammy was Chairman of the Executive Board of Pan Caribbean Partnership against HIV/AIDS, Chairman of the CARICOM Council for Human and Social Development and Chairman of the Caribbean Public Health Agency. Dr. Ramsammy’s impressive and extensive public health stewardship saw him elected Chairman of the Global Fund for Affordable Medicines for Malaria, a position he held between 2010 and 2011.
Dr. Ramsammy also served as a Director of the Global Fund Board representing Latin America and the Caribbean and a member of the Policy and Strategy Committee of the Global Fund also representing Latin America and the Caribbean. Dr. Ramsammy served as the President of the World Health Organization 61 st World Assembly (2008-2009). His appointment made it the first time a Minister of the Americas would hold that post since 1972. He became only the second representative from the region to do so. Prior to this post, he served as President of the Pan American Health Organization’s 47 th Directing Council (2006-2008).
Dr. Ramsammy since 2001 advocated for a trajectory of elimination of HIV, which has now become a global goal and defined by UNAIDS as the Zero Goals-“Zero New Infections”, “Zero Discrimination”, and “Zero AIDS-related deaths”. The Guyana National AIDS Program made tremendous strides under Dr. Ramsammy’s leadership as Health Minister with regards to reducing the spread of the disease, in particular the reduction of pregnant women testing positive, and the number of babies being born with HIV. Dr. Ramsammy was honored by the Guyana National AIDS Programme Secretariat in 2010 for his vision to pursue a trajectory of elimination of new HIV infections and for his successful decade long stewardship as Health Minister. In 2011 he was presented with the Outstanding Leadership Award by PANCAP.
