Special Adviser, Coordination and Engagement
Ambassador Paulette A. Bethel serves as Special Adviser responsible for Office’s engagement on SDGs and climate change as well as budget and management issues. She has had a wide range of experience as an educator, diplomat and negotiator.
Dr. Bethel began her career in the international arena as an employee of the United Nations. She later joined the Foreign Service of her country, the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, where she held a variety of diplomatic posts over the course of the years. Dr. Bethel expanded her work in the international arena, taking on the post of Director of the Department of Fellowships at the Organization of American States.
Returning to The Bahamas for a period of time, Dr. Bethel was employed in the private sector in the area of international financial and corporate services, dealing with risk management and compliance issues.
In 2003, Dr. Bethel was appointed to the position of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of The Bahamas to the United Nations. She was the first female Ambassador of The Bahamas to the United Nations, a post that she held for 10 years, until March 2013.
During the 68th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, Ambassador Bethel served as Chef de Cabinet of the Office of the President of that Session.