LocationsRoundup Story: New UNDP Resident Representative presents credentials in Kingston, Nassau and Hamilton
February 20, 2024
UNDP Resident Representative, Kishan Khoday presents his credentials to Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator the Hon Kamina Johnson Smith at the Ministry in Kingston on 2 February 2024
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has announced the appointment of Kishan Khoday as Resident Representative for Jamaica, Belize, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, The Bahamas and Turks and Caicos Islands, effective 22 January 2024.
As Resident Representative based at the UNDP Multi-Country Office in Jamaica, Mr. Khoday also represents UNDP in Bermuda, Cayman Islands, The Bahamas and Turks and Caicos Islands. He is also appointed Resident Representative to Belize, which is served by the UNDP Belize office based in Belmopan.
During separate meetings in the western Caribbean, Mr. Khoday, a Canadian national of Indian descent, presented his credentials to Jamaica’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator the Honourable Kamina Johnson Smith on 2 February in Kingston; to Bermuda’s Deputy Premier and Minister of Home Affairs, Honourable Walter Roban in Hamilton on 8 February and to Director General in The Bahamas’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 5 February in Nassau. Handing over of credentials officially marked the start of Mr. Khoday’s tour of duty in those respective countries.
In welcoming the new Resident Representative, Minister Johnson Smith highlighted the fruitful cooperation between Jamaica and the UNDP, particularly in poverty reduction, climate change, disaster risk management, coral reef protection, and advancing gender equality. She said these efforts are pivotal for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, showcasing the depth of the multilateral partnership and shared commitment to a sustainable future.
UNDP Resident Representative Kishan Khoday presents his credentials to Ministry of Foreign Affairs Director General Jerusa Ali on 5 February at the Ministry in Nassau.
In Hamilton the following week, Bermuda’s Deputy Premier Honourable Walter Roban acknowledged the ongoing joint UN and Bermuda partnership on the Building Back Equal project as a promising vehicle for economic empowerment of marginalized groups such as women, youth and persons with disabilities, and said Bermuda looked forward to expanding the scope of the UNDP’s engagement with his nation.
Immediately following acceptance of Mr Khoday’s credentials at the Nassau office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in The Bahamas, Director General Jerusa Ali lauded significant areas of ongoing cooperation with the UNDP including disaster resilience and climate change adaptation and mitigation. She also outlined other key areas for potential collaboration related to digitization and data collection.
UNDP Resident Representative Kishan Khoday presents his credentials to Bermuda's Deputy Premier and Minister of Home Affairs, Walter Roban on 8 February in Hamilton
Mr. Khoday pledged continuing support for the development aspirations of the respective nations served by the Multi Country Office anchored on an inclusive and sustainable approach that leaves no one behind. He said that through UNDP’s current Country Programme (CP) in Jamaica (2022-2026), UNDP offers a strategic approach to combating multidimensional poverty and advancing climate resilient, nature-based pathways, leveraging UNDP’s capacities in innovation, digitalization, and sustainable finance.
Mr. Khoday has served with UNDP for 25 years, having coordinated over USD $1 billion in country programming to help partners and communities around the world advance inclusive and sustainable development pathways. This included tours of duty with UNDP Country Offices in China, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia and with UNDP’s regional offices for the Middle East and North Africa based in Egypt and Jordan. Prior to joining the UN, Mr. Khoday worked with government and community organizations in his home countries of Canada and India on issues of poverty reduction, ecological resilience, and community empowerment.
Mr. Khoday is a scientist and lawyer, holding a Juris Doctorate specializing in constitutional, international, and environmental law; a Master of Science in natural resource management focused on land and water systems, and a Bachelor of Science in agriculture specializing in biodiversity and ecological change. The UNDP Resident Representative is a frequent speaker at international conferences and policy dialogues on the development agenda and a recognized thought leader on strategic issues such as climate change, ecosystem resilience, constitutionalism, postcolonial and decolonial theory, and resilience-based approaches to development, having published extensively on these and other issues.
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