Guyana is mourning the passing of Elisabeth Anne Harper, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and former Prime Ministerial candidate of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C).

She died on Saturday at the age of 67 following a battle with cancer.

Harper, a career diplomat whose service spanned decades, was remembered as one of Guyana’s most accomplished public servants.

Rising from clerk in the Foreign Ministry in 1976 to Director General and later Permanent Secretary, she represented Guyana at the highest levels of international diplomacy.

She also served as Guyana’s Co-Agent in the ongoing border case with Venezuela before the International Court of Justice.

In 2015, Harper was nominated by the PPP/C as its Prime Ministerial candidate, a role she described as an honour and an opportunity to further serve the Guyanese people.

Her contributions were recognized in 2011 when she was awarded the Golden Arrow of Achievement.

Born on October 2, 1957, Harper was a devout Christian, wife to Mark Harper, and mother to five children.