Richard Bernal


Professor The Honourable Ambassador Richard L. Bernal, OJ, is a Jamaican economist and diplomat. Bernal served as the Jamaican Ambassador to the United States from 1991 to 2001, simultaneously holding the post of Permanent Representative of Jamaica to the Organization of American States., Bernal has held the post of Pro Vice-Chancellor for Global Affairs at the University of the West Indies. Ambassador Bernal is a member of the Order of Jamaica. In 2018 he was made a Professor of Practice in international economic policy at The UWI.

Education

Richard Bernal has studied at the University of the West Indies, The New School for Social Research in New York and School of Advanced International Studies.Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. His degrees include a Bachelor of Science, a Master of Arts, a Doctor of Philosophy and a Master of International Public Policy.

Career

Prior to his diplomatic career, Bernal taught economics at UWI for seven years, served as CEO of a commercial bank, and worked as an economic advisor to the government of Jamaica.
Between May 6, 1991 to August 31, 2001, Ambassador Bernal served as Jamaica’s Ambassador to the United States of America and Permanent Representative to the Organization of American States.
Since leaving the diplomatic corps in 2001, he has continued to serve as a trade advisor and negotiator for various Jamaican and Caribbean regional trade organizations.
Ambassador Bernal served as Director-General of the Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery for 8 years where he was responsible for trade negotiations for the Caribbean Community, Cuba and the Dominican Republic. As Principal Negotiator for the Forum of Caribbean States, Bernal participated in the negotiation of the CARIFORUM-European Union Economic Partnership Agreement. and also served as CARICOM’s lead negotiator and spokesperson in the World Trade Organization and the Free Trade Area of the Americas negotiations.
Between 2008 and 2016, Ambassador Bernal served as a Member of the Board of the Inter-American Development Bank.
In 2015, he served as a member of the World Bank’s External Advisory Panel for Diversity and Inclusion.
He is a Senior Associate of the Center for Strategic and International Studies and has published opinion editorials in publications such as the Miami Herald. He has also been quoted by news outlets such as Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

Publications

Bernal has published four books and over 100 articles on topics related to international economics and trade.

Books