H.E. Paulette Bethel took up her post as Ambassador of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas to the People’s Republic of China in September, 2022.

Dr. Bethel is a seasoned diplomat and consummate professional with many years of experience at the national, regional and international levels in senior diplomatic, managerial and advisory capacities, utilizing her substantial expertise in international affairs, negotiation, conflict resolution, multicultural exchange, strategic planning, research and policy formulation and analysis. Her vast and collaborative experience in the international arena is complemented by considerable experience in the private sector and in academia.

During her earlier years of employment, Dr. Bethel lectured in Sociology at the College of The Bahamas (COB) – now the University of The Bahamas (UB) – where she also assumed the Chair of the Department of Social Sciences.Subsequently, Dr. Bethel began her career in international affairs when she was employed by the United Nations and posted to Vienna, Austria. She later joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of The Bahamas and served as a senior diplomat at the United Nations in New York, the Embassy in Washington D.C., and at the Organization of American States (OAS).

In 2003, Dr. Bethel was appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the United Nations. She was the first female Ambassador of The Bahamas to the United Nations, a post that she held for ten years. Since her diplomatic service with The Bahamas, Ambassador Bethel has held senior positions, as an international civil servant, at the United Nations and has, since then, been engaged as a Special Advisor on Multilateral Affairs, in the private sector, addressing issues related to agriculture, food and health, particularly in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). She also served as National Coordinator for the 50th Session of the General Assembly of the OAS which The Bahamas had been scheduled to host in June, 2020.

Ambassador Bethel is a global citizen with a wide range of experience as a diplomat, international civil servant, negotiator, manager and educator. She received her Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and obtained her Master of Arts (MA) and Bachelor of Arts (BA) degrees from Howard University and the University of Toronto, respectively.