ONE of Guyana’s finest diplomats, Noel Sinclair, has died. According to a release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the news of Sinclair’s demise was communicated to the ministry on Saturday.
The ministry noted that Sinclair’s passing represents the end of a career that was spent almost entirely within the diplomatic service, with the brief exception as a Master at Central High School.

Sinclair held rich curriculum vitae. He was educated at the Central High School and the University of the West Indies (UWI). While at UWI, he obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in French and a Diploma in International Relations.
“Even though he returned to Guyana after his studies at the regional university, it seems that the attractions of a newly independent Guyana seeking to find its place in the world of global politics had a compelling fascination for him, a fascination that was to endure for a lifetime,” the release noted.

Later, after joining the newly established Ministry of External Affairs, Ambassador Sinclair quickly became a Third Secretary in the Guyana Embassy in Caracas, a Second Secretary in the Guyana Embassy in Washington from 1969 to 1972, and First Secretary in the High Commission in Lusaka, Zambia, from 1976 to 1979.
At the peak of his career, Sinclair was elevated to the post of Permanent Representative to the United Nations in 1979. The ministry noted that Ambassador Sinclair’s rise in the Foreign Service was based on his understanding of international diplomacy, his capacity for hard work and his ability for productive interpersonal relations.

“And it must be said that his success is all the more noteworthy, because it came at a time when professional achievement occurred against the background of a highly competitive Foreign Service,” the release stated.
It was noted that Sinclair’s work and achievements at this country’s overseas missions ensured that he would ascend to the highest position of the Foreign Service, that of Director-General, a position that was re-designated from that of Permanent Secretary to bring it in line with the other Foreign Ministries of Latin America.

While in that post, Ambassador Sinclair brought his skills as an administrator and his understanding of the needs and purposes of the Foreign Service the ministry said. In addition, his diplomatic career did not end there, since the Region elected him the Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Latin American and Caribbean Economic System (SELA) after recognising his talent and skills.

His character traits included someone who was well spoken, socially sophisticated and according to the ministry, Ambassador Sinclair was as close as one would get to the image of an ideal diplomat for a country like Guyana. His enviable command of English made him a superb drafter of diplomatic documents,which was among his many skills.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs extended sincere condolences to the immediate family of Ambassador Sinclair, especially his wife and children, his brothers and his sisters.