Ronald Sanders (diplomat)

Sir Ronald Michael Sanders KCN KCMG AM (born 26 January 1948) is an Antiguan Barbudan diplomat, academic, former broadcast-journalist, and the current Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the United States and to the Organization of American States (OAS) since 2015. He holds the unique distinction of being the first person, since the OAS enlarged its membership in 1962, to serve as Chairman of the Permanent Council of the OAS for an unprecedented three terms. He completed his highly successful third term on December 31, 2023, having played a widely recognized role in guiding the work of the Permanent Council in the peaceful transition of government in Guatemala on 14 January 2024.

In January 2026, Sir Ronald was appointed as the 11th Chancellor of the University of Guyana, the nation’s premier tertiary institution. Sir Ronald's installation ceremony as Chancellor was held on February 13, 2026 at the University's Turkeyan campus in Guyana. The University's Council has described the appointment as "a historic milestone for the University as it welcomes a diplomat of international stature to lead its highest governing body." Guyana's President Irfaan Ali emphasized that this unique blend of diplomacy and scholarship positions Sir Ronald to advance the University’s evolving role, stating that his "experience in multilateral diplomacy, scholarship on small states, and sustained engagement with leading global policy institutions reflect a depth of intellect, credibility, and international respect that will further enhance the academic stature and global reach of the University of Guyana".

Since the beginning of the Russian war against Ukraine, which started in February 2022, he has been one of the few Caribbean voices advocating for Ukraine, calling for the protection of its territorial integrity and sovereignty, which led to him being awarded the Order of Merit of Ukraine by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on August 24, 2025.

He is also the non-resident High Commissioner to Canada since 2017. He served twice as Antigua's High Commissioner to the United Kingdom (1983–1987, 1996–2004) as well as ambassador to the World Trade Organization (WTO) (1997–2004). He was a member and Rapporteur of the Commonwealth Eminent Persons Group (2010–2011) that produced a seminal report entitled, "A Commonwealth of the People: Time for Urgent Reform", which laid out a plan of action to make the Commonwealth effective and relevant. He was Antigua and Barbuda's nominee to be secretary general of the Commonwealth at the election held at the 2015 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. He is a senior research fellow (on leave) at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies, University of London, and a senior fellow (on leave) at Massey College at the University of Toronto.

He is a speaker at conventions and conferences on global financial services issues and on Latin America and Caribbean states in the global political-economy and the Commonwealth.