Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma has announced former Governor-General of New Zealand Sir Anand Satyanand as Chair of the Commonwealth Foundation.
Sir Anand will serve as an ambassador for the Commonwealth Foundation, promoting its vision and values, and representing the Foundation at intergovernmental meetings and events and presiding over its Board of Governors meetings.
Sir Anand said: “I am delighted to be appointed as Chair of the Commonwealth Foundation and I look forward to leading the Foundation’s role of encouragement for the efforts of civil society organisations and professional groupings.”
The Commonwealth Foundation is a development organisation uniquely situated at the interface between government and civil society. It develops the capacity of civil society to act together and learn from each other to engage with the institutions that shape people’s lives.
Sir Anand, who was appointed by Commonwealth Heads of Government, will serve an initial term of two years.
Commonwealth Foundation Director Vijay Krishnarayan said: “We are honoured to welcome Sir Anand Satyanand as the Commonwealth Foundation’s new Chair. His background and experience will be real assets to the Foundation and help advance its agenda of citizen participation and inclusion in governance systems.”
Sir Anand served as Governor-General from 2006 to 2011, having previously completed two five-year terms as one of New Zealand’s Parliamentary Ombudsmen.