Inga Rhonda King

Her Excellency
Inga Rhonda King
King in 2014
Permanent Representative of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to the United Nations
Incumbent
Assumed office
13 September 2013[1]
Prime MinisterRalph Gonsalves
74th President of the United Nations Economic and Social Council
In office
26 July 2018 – 25 July 2019
Preceded byMarie Chatardová
Succeeded byMona Juul
Personal details
Born (1960-04-21) 21 April 1960
Kingston, West Indies Federation

Inga Rhonda King (also known as I. Rhonda King; born 21 April 1960) is a Saint Vincent and the Grenadines accountant, teacher and publisher who has served as the country's Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN) since September 2013.

Early life and education

King was born in Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles[2] and is Vincentian by descent.[3] She has a bachelor's of science degree in chemistry and mathematics from the State University of New York at Albany.[2][3]

Career

King is a certified accountant and financial manager.[2] She has also worked in publishing, business development and academia.[2] She taught English as a foreign language in China from 2002 to 2003 and has been a volunteer mathematics teacher for at-risk children in Miami.[2]

In 2003, King published her biography as a collection of essays called Journal of a Superfluous Woman in which she narrates her experience with breast cancer.[4]

In 2006, King founded Strategy Forum Inc, an independent publisher of illustrated books. She is also an artist.[5]

From 2010, King was Chairperson of National Investment Promotions in Kingstown.[2] She was also appointed honorary consul for Portugal.[3] In 2011, she became chair of St Vincent and the Grenadines' investment promotion agency.[3]

King was appointed as Permanent Representative to the United Nations by Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves on 13 September 2013,[2][3] presenting her credentials to presented her credentials to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.[6] In January 2016, St Vincent and the Grenadines voting rights at the UN were suspended due to outstanding payment of dues. King said it was a clerical error which would be fixed promptly.[7]

On 29 September 2016, King was elected chair of the UN Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary).[2][8] On 27 April 2017, she spoke at the General Assembly to champion the resolution to include World Creativity and Innovation Day on the UN Days of Observance.[9] King has also served as Chair of the UN L.69 Group of Developing Countries.[10][11]

On 26 July 2018, King was elected to be the seventy-fourth President of the UN Economic and Social Council.[12][13][14] She was suceeded by Mona Juul of Norway.[15]

In 2019, King led the delegation of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to the countries UN Security Council seat.[16] On 23 October 2019, she was awarded the 2019 Spirit of the UN award, becoming the first Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Permanent Representative to receive the honour.[16]

On 22 January 2021, King signed and ratified the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) as representative of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.[17]

On 20 January 2025, King was appointed, alongside Jakub Kulhánek, Permanent Representative of Czechia to the United Nations, as co-facilitator in the United Nations Economic and Social Council and High-Level Political Forum.[18][19]

Publications

  • King, Inga Rhonda (2003). Journal of a Superfluous Woman: A Collection of Essays. iUniverse. ISBN 9780595295531.
  • King, Inga Rhonda (2009). Caribbean Sense of Life: A Photographic Narrative. Strategy Forum Inc.
  • King, Inga Rhonda (2011). The Green Legacy of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Strategy Forum Inc. ISBN 978-0-9824215-2-9.
  • King, Inga Rhonda (2011). A Tiny Slice of Caribbean Life: Portrait of a Vincy Woman. Strategy Forum In.
  • King, I. Rhonda (30 November 2015). "The Green Legacy of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines". Huffington Post. Retrieved 22 August 2017.

References

  1. ^ "Inga Rhonda King (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) Chair of Fifth Committee | Meetings Coverage and Press Releases".
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h "Inga Rhonda King (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) Chair of Fifth Committee". United Nations. 30 September 2016. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
  3. ^ a b c d e "PM Gonsalves announces new UN envoy, other senior appointments". IWitness News. 2 September 2013. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
  4. ^ King, Inga Rhonda (2003). Journal of a Superfluous Woman: A Collection of Essays. iUniverse. ISBN 9780595295531.
  5. ^ "SFI Books: A New and Dynamic Approach to Caribbean Publishing". 18 May 2010. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
  6. ^ "New Permanent Representative of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Presents Credentials". United Nations. 13 September 2013. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
  7. ^ "Envoy blames clerical error for UN voting rights problem". Antigua Observer. 26 January 2016. Archived from the original on 22 August 2017. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
  8. ^ McAllister, Jared (16 October 2016). "St Vincent Diplomat's Other Post". New York Daily News. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
  9. ^ "World Creativity and Innovation Day is accepted by the United Nations". April 2017. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
  10. ^ UN General Assembly (19 July 2017). "General Assembly Adopts Texts on Security Council Reform, Peacekeeping, Conflict in Africa, Cooperation with Regional Groups". Relief Web. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
  11. ^ "Jaishankar meets L.69 Co-Chair Inga Rhonda King, reiterates call for multipolar world". ANI News. Archived from the original on 2024-02-21. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  12. ^ "Opening 2019 Session, Economic and Social Council Elects New President, Adopts Provisional Agenda, Other Organizational Matters" (Press release). New York. 26 July 2018. Retrieved 26 July 2018.
  13. ^ Xuequan, Mu (27 July 2018). "UN ECOSOC elects new president". Xinhua. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  14. ^ "ST. VINCENT and the GRENADINES Takes Over UN Security Council Presidency – Focus On Peacebuilding, Sustaining Peace". DIPLOMATIC TIMES. 2020-11-02. Retrieved 2025-08-06.
  15. ^ "Diplomat urges UN agency to remain 'formidable tool' for development cooperation". Jamaica Observer. 29 July 2019. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  16. ^ a b "Inga Rhonda King receives 2019 Spirit of the UN award - Searchlight". 2019-11-01. Retrieved 2025-08-06.
  17. ^ "Saint Vincent and the Grenadines". ICAN. Retrieved 2025-08-06.
  18. ^ "St. Vincent Diplomat to Serve on High Level UN Forum". Caribbean Today. 2025-01-20. Retrieved 2025-08-06.
  19. ^ "Ambassador King Appointed Co-Facilitator for UNESC Consultations". St Vincent Times. 18 January 2025. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
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