Bios

Ambassador (Ret.) Dr. Joseph Edsel Edmunds, OBE

CRPC Senior Associate

Ambassador Dr. Joseph Edsel Edmunds is a graduate of the University of Puerto Rico (BSA in Agronomy) and Cornell University (MSc and PhD in Plant Pathology and Nematology, respectively).

He is a member of the Executive Board of UNESCO. He has served as: Director of Research and Development of the Windward Islands Banana Research and Development Center; Ambassador of St Lucia to the United Nations (UN), the Organization of American States (OAS), and the United States of America(USA); Senator in the Government of St Lucia; Senior Research Fellow at the University of the West Indies(UWI), St Augustine Campus; and Director of the General Secretariat of the OAS in Suriname. He is a former Dean of the Caribbean Diplomatic Corps and former Vice-Dean of the Diplomatic Corps in Washington. He is Black Professionals in International Affairs Ambassador-at-Large to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

Ambassador Edmunds has served as consultant to various international agencies on projects in the South Pacific, Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean; chaired a committee to review the educational system in St Lucia; produced a “Working Document on Program of Support for Democracy and Good Governance in the Caribbean” for the OAS; and contributed to a United Nations Development Program (UNDP) report on Governance in the Caribbean.

He has presented, published and participated in several projects related to science and technology, agriculture, education, democracy and governance, and youth leadership activities relevant to the Caribbean and international affairs. His book entitled “The Triangle of Success: For our Youth, Leaders of Tomorrow” has been acclaimed by distinguished educators, youth leaders, teachers and parents as a scholarly and practical guide for the development of youth, motivating and empowering them in the achievement of their potential. In addition to his work as a scientist, statesman, diplomat and leader, he has published a book of poems and has exhibited his paintings in the USA, Canada and the Caribbean.

Included in his various awards is the Office of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE), awarded by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second, for his contribution to science; the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Legacy Award for International Service from the International Salute to the Life and Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Committee; and the nematode, Longidorus edmunsi, was named in his honor for his contribution to Nematology. He has been cited as a Pioneer in the Conservation Movement in St Lucia and a Caribbean Icon in Science, Research and Innovation.