Rafael Darío Ramírez Carreño (born August 4, 1963) is a Venezuelan engineer, politician, and diplomat.

Next, he was promoted to the status of Minister of Energy and Mines, and faced the "oil sabotage" of late 2002 and early 2003.

On November 20, 2004, Ramírez was selected as the president of the company Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PDVSA), a position that he has held concurrently with that of the Minister of Energy and Petroleum.

His appointment as Permanent Representative coincided with Venezuela taking a seat on the United Nations Security Council on 1 January 2015.

[4] The Government of Canada sanctioned Ramírez in November 2017 as being someone who participated in "significant acts of corruption or who have been involved in serious violations of human rights".