JSE Inaugural Regional Awardee
Ambassador the Honourable Dr. Richard L. Bernal, O.J.
Caribbean Negotiator Extraordinaire
Ambassador Dr. Richard Leighton Bernal, professional economist, seasoned diplomat and intrepid negotiator, is the most spirited defender of equitable trading arrangements for CARICOM economies.
He was born in Kingston, Jamaica, November 30, 1949, the son of Franklin Bernal, Management Consultant/Artist and Kathleen Bernal, Insurance Executive. He was educated at the University of the West Indies, University of Pennsylvania, the New School for Social Research and the School for Advanced International Studies of Johns Hopkins University. He holds the degrees of B.Sc., MA, Ph.D. (Economics), and MIPP (International Public Policy).
He has been described as being “tall and solidly built with a clear ringing voice”, an imposing yet extremely approachable and charming individual. Says, he of himself, “I speak loudly and I speak often” and he has indeed lived by his motto, “For every problem there is a solution, find it and implement it now”.
Our Caribbean colossus has over the last thirty years built a solid reputation as the doyen of commercial diplomacy by constructing effective partnerships through his lead role in numerous negotiations on behalf of Jamaica and CARICOM. These include agreements on investment, intellectual property rights, textiles and apparel, trade agreements, debt reduction agreements and loans from multilateral financial institutions (IMF, World Bank, and IADB).
He has a proven record of fostering and strengthening linkages between trade policy and policies on economic development, structural adjustment, export diversification and international competitiveness. His experience includes managing the implementation of projects and programmes and liasing with international financial institutions, donor agencies and regional organizations. During his career he has travelled extensively particularly in North America, Europe, Latin America, Central America and the Caribbean.
Since the late 1980’s, Ambassador Bernal has been lead envoy in numerous negotiations on behalf of Jamaica and CARICOM and also performing the role of CARICOM’s lead negotiator in the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) negotiations.
Dr. Bernal has from 2001 served as Director-General of the Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery (RNM). The RNM has responsibility for trade negotiations for its member states of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and provides technical support to Cuba and the Dominican Republic.
Dr. Bernal directs and supervises a staff of technical experts and trade specialists operating from Kingston, Bridgetown, St. Lucia, Brussels and Geneva. He is the principal adviser to Ministers of Trade and Prime Ministers of the CARICOM countries on external trade negotiations and was Principal Negotiator for Forum of Caribbean States (CARIFORUM) in the negotiations, which led to the CARIFORUM-European Union Economic Partnership Agreement.
He is credited with introducing to trade negotiations and international trade policy the need to take account of the special circumstance of small developing economies. Through his advocacy and publications he effectively advanced policy in this area as the first chair of the Working Group on Small Economies of the FTAA and was instrumental in introducing the topic to the WTO and the Doha Development Agenda.
Ambassador Bernal has a proven capacity for building effective partnerships as is evident in his long association and involvement as an adviser to trade unions, NGO’s, credit unions, consumer organizations, churches and business associations such as chambers of commerce, exporters, manufacturers, farmers and bankers. He has a demonstrated ability for resolving differences and forging consensus positions from diverse views of governments and stakeholders, which vary in size, development, language, politics and perspectives on trade and trade liberalization.
He is one of the 50 Distinguished Graduates of the University of the West Indies and the Order of Jamaica takes pride of place among several honours he has received. He is married to Margaret, a Sociologist and Cultural Heritage Specialist and they have two sons.
Jamaica and the Caribbean salutes your work and worth as Caribbean Negotiator Extraordinaire, Richard Leighton Bernal.
– Presented by the Jamaica Stock Exchange, at the Third Annual Regional Conference on Investments and the Capital Markets on January 29, 2008 at the RoseHall Resorts Hotel, Montego Bay, Jamaica.
