The Commonwealth Association has announced that Sir Ronald Sanders will deliver this year’s Commonwealth Lecture on Monday, July 1, at Marlborough House, the seat of the Commonwealth Secretariat in London.

This year’s lecture will reflect on the legacy and enduring lessons from the life and leadership of the late Sir Shridath “Sonny” Ramphal, who served as the Commonwealth’s second and longest-serving Secretary-General from 1975 to 1990.

Sir Shridath passed away on August 30, 2024, and the lecture will be preceded by a memorial service in his honour at The Queen’s Chapel, St James’s Palace, earlier in the day.

The lecture will take place in the presence of the current Commonwealth Secretary-General, the Honourable Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, and will be attended by distinguished guests from across the Commonwealth.

“The event is fully booked,” the Commonwealth Association noted, “with overflow space lined up for those who aren’t able to get into Marlborough House.”

Sir Ronald Sanders, who is Sir Shridath Ramphal’s son-in-law, brings deep personal insight and decades of professional engagement with the Commonwealth to the occasion.

He served on the governing Board of the Commonwealth Secretariat, was a member and rapporteur of the 2010–2011 Eminent Persons Group (EPG) commissioned by Commonwealth Heads of Government to propose reforms for the association, and has twice served as High Commissioner of Antigua and Barbuda to the United Kingdom.

He is Antigua and Barbuda’s Ambassador to the United States and High Commissioner to Canada.

A widely published commentator on international and Commonwealth affairs, Sir Ronald is expected to draw on his close relationship with Sir Shridath and his experiences in diplomacy and Commonwealth reform to deliver a timely and reflective address.