Kay Coombs OBE (born 8 July 1945) is a British diplomat. She was a member of the British diplomatic service and was UK ambassador to Honduras (2002–2003) and to Mongolia (1999–2001).
Coombs was born on 8 July 1945. Her parents were Beatrice Mabel (née Angel) and William Tom Coombs. After taking a BA degree at the Newcastle University, Coombs was employed by the UK government Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 1967. She was a member of several departments in London between working abroad at several embassies including in Bonn (1971–1973), Zagreb (1976–1979), La Paz (1982–1986), Rome (1987–1991) and Beijing (1995–1998).
In 1975, Coombs was part of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office team involved with the UK's engagement with global women's rights at the inaugural conference of the United Nations Decade for Women. Her report after the conference on the need for longer preparation, closer consultation with UK NGOs, dedicated staffing and a general higher priority for the area, indicated the beginning of change at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
She was the UK's ambassador to Mongolia from 1999 to 2001, based in Ulaanbaatar, and then Honduras (2002–2003), based in Tegucigalpa, following the retirement of the previous ambassador, David Osborne. The UK embassy in Honduras was closed from the end of her tenure until 2015.
She became an honorary member of the Queen's Messenger Corps in 2001. She was appointed an Order of the British Empire in 2005. She has now retired.
| Diplomatic posts | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded byJohn Durham | British Ambassador to Mongolia 1999–2001 |
Succeeded byPhilip Rouse |
| Preceded byDavid Osborne | British Ambassador to Honduras 2002–2003 |
Succeeded byEmbassy closed until 2015 |
References
- ^ "Coombs, Kay". Whos Who 2021. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U11775. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
- McCarthy, Helen (2015). "The Diplomatic History of Global Women's Rights: The British Foreign Office and International Women's Year, 1975". Journal of Contemporary History. 50 (4): 833–853. doi:10.1177/0022009415577002. S2CID 144266578. Retrieved 16 April 2021.
- Sharrock, David (5 May 2001). "Our woman in icy Mongolia keeps a stiff upper lip". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 16 April 2021.
- "DAILY BULLETIN THURSDAY 11 APRIL 2002". Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
- "Britain closes its Honduran embassy". Associated Press (via HighBeam Research). 29 November 2003. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 3 January 2013.
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