President Ali’s LCDS advocacy achieves profound success abroad

-More countries recognising Guyana’s unique model of development

Chiding the media for inadequacies on President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali’s visit abroad, General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Dr Bharrat Jagdeo has highlighted the profound success of President Ali’s advocacy on the importance of forest and biodiversity preservation.

The Guyanese leader is currently in New York, USA where he has been promoting the nation’s comprehensive Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) 2030 on the global stage.

According to Dr Jagdeo, the head of state’s advocacy has recorded profound success.

He said, “He (President Ali) has been speaking about our model and its replicability as a model for the rest of the world. And increasingly, people are recognising what we have done in Guyana is unique.”

Anchored by the LCDS 2030 mechanism, Guyana has achieved what no other country has done. That is the success of a forested country in monetising its natural resources to advance sustainable development.

Jagdeo noted that these proceeds are being injected into climate adaptation and mitigation measures, eliminating the tax burden of Guyanese in funding these critical measures.

“We all agree that countries must adapt to climate change, given the existing concentration of greenhouse gases. You have no choice but to adapt… So, many of our resources will now be used for adaptation. That means taxpayers’ fund will not have to go to the adaptation measures,” the GS stated.

Another important issue being advanced by the head of state includes the critical role of biodiversity in climate change discussions. Fifty per cent of the global biodiversity has been lost. Guyana however, is considered by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) as the most important country for biodiversity.

Along this vein, President Ali, during the 79^th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), announced the Global Biodiversity Alliance launch, bringing together biodiversity-rich countries to develop a scalable model for environmental protection.

Through this undertaking, countries like Guyana will seek to monetise its rich environment to preserve natural habitats. This aligns with the LCDS 2030 strategy, which has expanded to include biodiversity, water management and the blue economy.

“We’re losing this habitat rapidly, the environment. And the global community, just laments this, without providing adequate resources for cash-strapped countries,” Jagdeo emphasised further.

Guyana’s President also met with King Charles III who has shown strong interest in Guyana’s ambitious undertaking.

“We are extremely pleased that he has received President Ali so warmly, and is committed not just to continue to help in the global advocacy, but also allow his foundation, King Charles Foundation to assist us,” Jagdeo expressed.

The LCDS was initially developed under former President Jagdeo and was later expanded by the current administration, following national consultations from October 2021 to July 2022.  It sets out how Guyana can build a platform for the economy of the future – a low-carbon economy – where world-class forest, biodiversity, water and marine resources are valued.