Premier of the Cayman Islands, the Honourable McKeeva Bush, has been elected Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB). He was elected at the Forty-First Annual Meeting of the Board, which has just concluded in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago.

Mr. Bush will serve as Chairman up to and during the Forty-Second Meeting of the Board, which will be hosted by the Government of the Cayman Islands in May 2012. The Governors for Germany and Mexico have been elected as Vice-Chairmen.

In his first Annual Statement to the Board, newly-elected CDB President, Dr. Warren Smith, spoke on the topic “Caribbean Leadership – Confronting the Anxieties of Our People”. He expressed the view that economic insecurities, climate change and crime and violence were the three main factors contributing to the anxieties of Caribbean people, and outlined some of the measures which need to be undertaken in order to address these anxieties. Dr. Smith also spoke of the role which CDB can play in helping to find solutions.

The Board of Governors is the highest policy-making body of the Bank. The meeting took place at the Hyatt Regency Trinidad from May 25 to 26, 2011.

In addition to the plenary sessions, the Governors participated in two panel discussions on “Recent Financial Sector Crises in the Caribbean: Lessons for the Future” and “Unlocking Climate Change Finance: Opportunities and Constraints”.