260:. The Reagan administration refused to accept her credentials as ambassador. On October 25, 1984, Dessima Williams was arrested by INS agents in Washington while Ronald Reagan was in the White House celebrating the first anniversary of his invasion of the tiny island. The agents of the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service apprehended her as she was leaving a forum on "Peace in the Americas" at Howard University. Of the arrest, Willams said: "I had just made the keynote address at a conference on Peace in the Caribbean at Howard University. As I left, about six men suddenly approached me. They indicated I was under arrest and that I should get into the car. I had already been pushed against the open door. I was standing there, baffled: "Why have I been arrested and what is this all about?" The men—they were armed—tried to keep people away from me. Then one fellow grabbed me by the neck from behind and the other one pushed his hand in my pelvic area and the other hand on my head, and they crumpled me into the car. All I knew was that there were these aggressive, hostile white males speeding off with me in a civilian car. We eventually arrived at a jail, and a woman matron began to search me. She found some little buttons that said, "Maurice Bishop's Spirit Lives." She said, "They're weapons. They have sharp points." I had a lot of foreign currency from years of travelling. "These are very important documents." I was put in a tiny cell and released on bail in the morning. The charge was that I was living here illegally. In fact, I'd been going back and forth from Grenada for eleven or twelve years."
31:
263:
Dessima has taught at secondary, college and university levels and is an advocate for the rights of women and girls, for farmers and for rural development. She founded the
Grenada Education and Development Programme, which supports Grenada's students as emerging leaders. She has also owned a business
278:
In 2009, she returned to diplomacy as
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Grenada to the United Nations, serving for over four years, three of those concurrently as Chair of the Alliance of Small Island Developing States. In this capacity, she led a 40-island global climate change effort
251:
from 1979 to 1983. She was Deputy
Governor to the World Bank and Deputy Permanent Representative to the Inter-American Commission of Women. At the Organization of American States, she shepherded resolutions such as the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace, Development and Independence and promotion of small
214:
Williams works in her own country to highlight the challenges of Small
Islands Developing States (SIDS) for the education of rural boys and girls. She is a passionate organic farmer and an enthusiastic exponent of a non-toxic lifestyle, especially to reduce the use of plastics. She promotes a
255:
At 32 years of age, she was named ambassador to the United States by
Grenada's Prime Minister Maurice Bishop, whose murder Aug. 12, 1983, set off a bloody power struggle on the island nation that led to the
508:
296:
Williams has participated in numerous sustainable development and political meetings, including Rio+20 and the first and third United
Nations Conferences on Small Island Developing States.
571:
566:
551:
290:. Williams is in charge of the team for the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals in the office of the President of the General Assembly for the 71st session.
279:
that recorded the high ambition of keeping average global temperatures to 1.5 degrees in the
Copenhagen Accord of 2009, which was later included in the 2015 Paris Agreement.
459:
360:
92:
591:
581:
198:) chair during COP15 in Copenhagen (2009-2011). She is currently a Strategic Adviser to Oxfam on climate change. Dr. Williams holds a Ph.D. from
331:
546:
596:
586:
176:
45:
384:
467:
361:"Make the global education goal your own, urges Special Adviser for the President of the UN General Assembly, Dessima Williams"
516:
576:
556:
248:
521:
499:
405:
215:
sustainable lifestyle through diet, walking rather than driving where possible, and letting others know about the
244:
313:
283:
561:
339:
206:. She is also the founder and Director of the Grenada Education and Development Programme (GRENED).
491:
434:
293:
Her leadership secured early investment for the island renewable energy organization, SIDS-DOCK.
232:
203:
127:
541:
257:
191:
8:
525:
272:
228:
199:
187:
123:
175:
from
Grenada who was reappointed to the ambassadorship in 2008. Since 2022 she has been
282:
In 2016 Dessima
Williams was appointed as Special Adviser for Implementation of the
268:
503:
80:
287:
172:
145:
535:
227:
Williams holds a Ph.D. and a master's degree in
International Relations from
496:
413:
168:
141:
118:
183:
54:
231:. She has a bachelor's degree in International Relations from the
164:
137:
30:
161:
111:
195:
460:"Prime Minister congratulates Dr. Dessima Williams | GOV.gd"
216:
194:
as well as serving as the Alliance of Small Island States (
572:
American University School of International Service alumni
567:
Permanent Representatives of Grenada to the United Nations
314:"New Speaker and Senate President sworn in | NOW Grenada"
552:
University of Minnesota College of Liberal Arts alumni
385:"Dessima Williams to become President of the Senate"
533:
271:in Massachusetts before joining the faculty of
243:Williams served as Grenada's ambassador to the
528:. Includes interview with Dessima Williams
509:Biography from Brandeis student newspaper
29:
592:20th-century Grenadian women politicians
582:21st-century Grenadian women politicians
497:Williams on Human Constitutional rights
534:
439:General Assembly of the United Nations
400:
398:
267:Williams taught Political Science at
547:Presidents of the Senate of Grenada
395:
13:
597:20th-century Grenadian politicians
587:21st-century Grenadian politicians
517:Article from Common Dreams website
14:
608:
485:
249:People's Revolutionary Government
202:and a bachelor's degree from the
209:
245:Organization of American States
452:
427:
377:
353:
324:
306:
1:
332:"Urgency of action paramount"
299:
284:Sustainable Development Goals
338:. 2015-05-20. Archived from
222:
186:, development and gender at
7:
577:Brandeis University faculty
557:Grenadian women ambassadors
522:The dream of a Black utopia
10:
613:
238:
151:
133:
117:
107:
102:
98:
86:
74:
62:
51:
44:
40:
28:
21:
264:in the tourism sector.
233:University of Minnesota
204:University of Minnesota
182:She was a professor of
177:President of the Senate
128:University of Minnesota
46:President of the Senate
258:US invasion of Grenada
192:Waltham, Massachusetts
492:GRENED official site
526:The Washington Post
320:. 2 September 2022.
273:Brandeis University
229:American University
200:American University
188:Brandeis University
124:American University
23:Dessima D. Williams
562:Women sociologists
502:2007-07-06 at the
435:"Dessima Williams"
406:"Dessima Williams"
318:www.nowgrenada.com
158:Dessima D Williams
16:Grenadian diplomat
155:
154:
604:
479:
478:
476:
475:
466:. Archived from
456:
450:
449:
447:
446:
431:
425:
424:
422:
421:
412:. Archived from
402:
393:
392:
391:. 3 August 2022.
381:
375:
374:
372:
371:
357:
351:
350:
348:
347:
328:
322:
321:
310:
269:Williams College
103:Personal details
93:Chester Humphrey
89:
77:
67:
35:Williams in 2014
33:
19:
18:
612:
611:
607:
606:
605:
603:
602:
601:
532:
531:
524:, podcast from
504:Wayback Machine
488:
483:
482:
473:
471:
458:
457:
453:
444:
442:
433:
432:
428:
419:
417:
404:
403:
396:
383:
382:
378:
369:
367:
359:
358:
354:
345:
343:
330:
329:
325:
312:
311:
307:
302:
252:island states.
241:
225:
212:
126:
87:
81:Dickon Mitchell
75:
69:
63:
58:
36:
24:
17:
12:
11:
5:
610:
600:
599:
594:
589:
584:
579:
574:
569:
564:
559:
554:
549:
544:
530:
529:
519:
514:
506:
494:
487:
486:External links
484:
481:
480:
451:
426:
394:
376:
365:www.unesco.org
352:
323:
304:
303:
301:
298:
288:United Nations
240:
237:
224:
221:
211:
208:
173:United Nations
153:
152:
149:
148:
146:United Nations
135:
131:
130:
121:
115:
114:
109:
105:
104:
100:
99:
96:
95:
90:
84:
83:
78:
76:Prime Minister
72:
71:
70:31 August 2022
65:Assumed office
60:
59:
52:
49:
48:
42:
41:
38:
37:
34:
26:
25:
22:
15:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
609:
598:
595:
593:
590:
588:
585:
583:
580:
578:
575:
573:
570:
568:
565:
563:
560:
558:
555:
553:
550:
548:
545:
543:
542:Living people
540:
539:
537:
527:
523:
520:
518:
515:
513:
512:
507:
505:
501:
498:
495:
493:
490:
489:
470:on 2016-08-06
469:
465:
461:
455:
440:
436:
430:
416:on 2007-07-06
415:
411:
407:
401:
399:
390:
389:The New Today
386:
380:
366:
362:
356:
342:on 2018-03-09
341:
337:
333:
327:
319:
315:
309:
305:
297:
294:
291:
289:
285:
280:
276:
274:
270:
265:
261:
259:
253:
250:
246:
236:
234:
230:
220:
218:
210:Personal life
207:
205:
201:
197:
193:
189:
185:
180:
178:
174:
170:
166:
163:
159:
150:
147:
143:
139:
136:
132:
129:
125:
122:
120:
116:
113:
110:
106:
101:
97:
94:
91:
85:
82:
79:
73:
66:
61:
57:
56:
50:
47:
43:
39:
32:
27:
20:
510:
472:. Retrieved
468:the original
463:
454:
443:. Retrieved
441:. 2016-09-13
438:
429:
418:. Retrieved
414:the original
410:www.hrcr.org
409:
388:
379:
368:. Retrieved
364:
355:
344:. Retrieved
340:the original
335:
326:
317:
308:
295:
292:
281:
277:
266:
262:
254:
242:
226:
213:
181:
157:
156:
64:
53:
511:The Justice
167:and former
140:and former
108:Nationality
88:Preceded by
536:Categories
474:2018-03-08
464:www.gov.gd
445:2018-03-08
420:2018-03-08
370:2018-03-08
346:2018-03-08
300:References
169:Ambassador
142:Ambassador
134:Occupation
119:Alma mater
275:in 1992.
223:Education
184:sociology
162:Grenadian
112:Grenadian
55:Incumbent
500:Archived
336:Oxfam NZ
165:diplomat
138:Diplomat
286:at the
247:during
171:to the
144:to the
239:Career
196:AOSIS
160:is a
68:
217:SDGs
190:in
538::
462:.
437:.
408:.
397:^
387:.
363:.
334:.
316:.
235:.
219:.
179:.
477:.
448:.
423:.
373:.
349:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
