High Commissioner Isaac elected chair of Commonwealth Board of Governors

At the Commonwealth’s annual Board of Government meeting, held in London yesterday, the High Commissioner of St. Kitts and Nevis, His Excellency, Dr Kevin M. Isaac, who was nominated by the CARICOM Caucus of High Commissioners, was elected Chairman of the 54 member Commonwealth Board of Governors.

The Chair of the Board of Governors is chosen, every two years, on the basis of geographical representation; this year it fell to the Caribbean and Canada region. High Commissioner Isaac was nominated unopposed, which speaks to the confidence the entire region and the Commonwealth family have in High Commissioner Isaac’s ability to lead the Commonwealth Board of Governors.

Among its mandated responsibilities, the Board of Governors exercises oversight of the Organisation, and receives annual reports from the Secretary-General on the operations of each of the individual funds; provides strategic direction on major policy issues; reviews implementation of CHOGM mandates; and approve four-year strategic plans and two-year programme budgets and work programmes. The fifty-four member states normally meet bi-annually at Marlborough House in London, but may meet as often as necessary to address urgent matters, which require the attention of the wider body.

Outgoing Chair, His Excellency Andreas Kakouris, High Commissioner of Cyprus, congratulated High Commissioner Isaac and promised to work closely with him to ensure a smooth transition. High Commissioner Isaac thanked his colleagues “for placing their confidence in St. Kitts and Nevis in these difficult times and promised to work to build on the tradition of Commonwealth consensus, where all voices are relevant and included and the Commonwealth family works together.”

High Commissioners and colleagues of the fifty-four member states, which represent 2.4 billion people across multiple nations and time zones, congratulated St. Kitts and Nevis and His Excellency Dr Kevin Isaac on his successful election. The tenure for the new Chair of the Board of Governors begins 1st July 2020 and runs for two years.