Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Minister Senator Kamina Johnson Smith has paid tribute to Ambassador Patricia Durrant who died last week, noting the excellent contribution she made to Jamaica and the international community.

“We are saddened by the passing of Ambassador Durrant and we honour the outstanding contribution made by her, not only to the Jamaican Foreign Service, but also to the international community,” Johnson Smith said in a statement, and expressed deep condolence to the late diplomat’s family and friends.

The foreign ministry noted that ambassador Durrant joined the Jamaican Foreign Service in 1971. She was assigned to Jamaica’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York at the level of deputy permanent representative from 1983 to 1987.

She was subsequently posted as Jamaica’s ambassador to the Federal Republic of Germany from 1987 to 1992.

At end of that tour of duty, Ambassador Durrant returned to the ministry’s headquarters in 1992 and was appointed to the post of director general, foreign service operations.

“She served in this capacity until 1995 when she returned to the Mission in New York as Jamaica’s permanent representative to the United Nations,” the ministry noted, adding that she served concurrently as permanent representative to the United Nations Security Council from 2000 to 2001 when Jamaica was a sitting member of that body.

“In April 2002, the United Nations secretary general appointed Ambassador Durrant as the UN ombudsman in the rank of assistant secretary general. She was the first to hold this position from 2002 until 2007,” the ministry said.

Ambassador Durrant retired from the service in 2007, but continued to maintain strong relations with current and former members of the service.