NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Ambassador Sharon Brennen-Haylock was decorated with the Officer of the Order of the Belgian Crown from King Philippe of Belgium during a reception at Fusion Superplex on Sunday.
Brennen-Haylock is the first Bahamian to receive the order, which is one of Belgium’s highest honors.
She was presented the award by Non-Resident Ambassador of the Kingdom of Belgium Jean-Arthur Regibeau, who is in The Bahamas to present his letters of credence later this week.
During the presentation of the award, Regibeau showered the veteran diplomat with praises for her years-long work with the foreign services.
“All of us, public and private officials, work to the best of our abilities to serve our communities and foster friendly relations between our countries,” he said.
“However, from time to time, a colleague stands out, does way more than what is generally expected, goes the extra mile or two and achieves such positive results that we are invited to pause over these achievements and honor the driving force behind them. “
Regibeau noted that Brennen-Haylock was recommended by former Belgian Ambassador Dirk Wouters to receive the Belgian national order and the recommendation was agreed on and bestowed upon her by King Philippe.
He pointed to her long and close cooperation with the country on integral matters from the election of Belgium as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council from 2019 to 2020, to the assistance provided in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian to locate Belgian tourists and the evacuation of stranded Belgian tourists in the early months of the COVID-19 crisis.
“These are just a couple of examples of your outstanding service to our country and to the deepening of our friendship. It shows that beyond service and duty, there is friendship and solidarity,” Regibeau added.
Brennen-Haylock has more than 30 years of experience in diplomacy, international affairs, economic and social development, gender and management, and even banking.
She’s served at different levels of the foreign services and has worked within and throughout the United Nations (UN) system and other international organizations, such as the Organization of American States (OAS), the Bretton Woods Institutions, the Summit of the Americas process, CARICOM, the Association of Caribbean States (ACS), the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and the Commonwealth and the European Union/African, Caribbean and Pacific (EU/AP).
Her long-spanning professional experience also includes work as undersecretary for the International Relations Division, the Bahamas national coordinator for the Summit of Americas, senior liaison officer in the Liaison Office of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FOA) and chairperson of the United Nations Development Fund for Women, the Commission on the Status of Women and the Committee for Program and Coordination.
She also served as director-general of the foreign service of The Bahamas, where she led the technical work of the ministry, including international relations, intergovernmental affairs, economic and sustainable development, legal issues and law of the sea, technical assistance and cooperation and consular affairs and protocol.
After receiving the award, Brennen-Haylock expressed her happiness and appreciation to Belgium for bestowing the honor upon her.
She also encouraged foreign service officers to take pride in their work and not be afraid to go above and beyond the call of duty, always understanding their role as public servants and ambassadors of The Bahamas.
