Niermala Badrising

Niermala Badrising (born 4 July 1962) is a Surinamese diplomat and politician. She was Minister of Foreign Affairs of Suriname in the cabinet of President Dési Bouterse between 12 August 2015 and 1 February 2017. She was ambassador to the United States from July 2017 until October 2021.

Early life and education Badrising was born on 4 July 1962 in Paramaribo. In 1987 Badrising obtained a master's degree in International Studies from the International Institute of Social Studies in The Hague, Netherlands. In 2007 she obtained a master's degree in International Relations and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy of Tufts University in the United States. She also has a licentiate degree in law from the Anton de Kom University of Suriname, where she specialized in international labor law and international relations. In this position she was Suriname's signatory to the 2015 Paris Agreement. On 1 February 2017 she was replaced as Minister by Yldiz Pollack-Beighle. The Surinamese government subsequently proposed her as the ambassador to the United States. She started working as ambassador on 9 June of the same year, and offered her diplomatic credentials to President Donald Trump on 21 July 2017. She was the first female in this position and left the post in October 2021.