Minister of Foreign Affairs Rudy Insanally has indicated his intention to demit office but the details and timing are being finalized, Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr Roger Luncheon has announced.
According to GINA Dr Luncheon told the media that Insanally has indicated to President Bharrat Jagdeo his intention based on health and personal reasons. However, he has undertaken to continue to discharge certain other responsibilities “in his engagement with government.”
Prior to holding the portfolio of Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Bharrat Jagdeo administration, he served as Chancellor of the University of Guyana between 1994 and 2001.
A career diplomat, Insanally had his academic grounding at Queen’s College, the University of the West Indies, London University, the University of Paris and the University of Belgium with academic studies focused on international relations and foreign languages. He joined the foreign service at the age of 30.
He served as a counsellor at the Guyana Embassy in Washington DC, from 1966 to 1969, and was subsequently appointed Charge d’Affaires at the Guyana’s mission in Caracas, Venezuela. He was transferred to Guyana’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in the post of Deputy Permanent Representative in 1972.
Later that year he returned to Venezuela as Ambassador with accreditation to Colombia, Ecuador and Peru during which time he took part in the work of CARICOM, the Organisation of American States (OAS), the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the Caribbean Development and Cooperation Committee (CDCC), and the Latin American Economic System (SELA).
In 1978 he became Guyana’s Permanent Repre-sentative to the then European Economic Community (EEC) in Brussels and was Ambassador to Belgium and non-resident Ambassador to Austria, Norway and Sweden.
On his return to Guyana in the early 1980’s he was the Head of the Political Division with responsibility for the Western Hemisphere in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and was roving high commissioner to several Caribbean countries and non-resident ambassador to Colombia. In 1987, he was appointed Permanent Representative to the UN, a post he still holds.
In 1993, Insanally was elected President of the 48th Session of the UN General Assembly during which time he also presided over the World Hearings on Development held at UN Headquarters.
