More action needed to combat climate change, says Guyana’s president

The Commonwealth Finance Ministers Meeting (CFMM) opened in Georgetown, Guyana, on 15 October 2007, with a call on countries to create a world where freedom, opportunity, social justice and economic prosperity prevail to improve the lives of millions of the world’s people.

Speaking at the official opening at the National Cultural Centre, the President of Guyana, Bharrat Jagdeo, said: “As leaders in the Commonwealth, whether Heads of Government or Ministers of Finance, we bear a significant share of the responsibility through our moral influence and economic power.”

The President pointed out that today’s economic landscape is highly interconnected, with a new generation of globalised problems including terrorism, internationalised criminal networks, threats to energy security, human migration and climate change.

Focusing on the special theme for this year’s CFMM -- ‘Climate Change: The Challenges facing Finance Ministers’ -- Mr Jagdeo said that these present problems demand an unprecedented level of global will and action.

“That climate change demands the attention of global leaders is no longer in doubt,” he stated.

“Those who are dealing with the impact of climate change on a daily basis do not need a lecture from the rest of the world on how climate change has profound human consequences -- they see this every day.”

Instead, “there is need for the global community to start solving the problem,” said the President.

Mr Jagdeo cautioned against developing what he termed as “small scale solutions” which have negligible impact on averting the worst extremes of climate change.

“This is particularly visible in the excessive concentration on the role of aviation in climate change, which is already causing economic damage to tourism and agriculture industries throughout the developing world.”

The President called for avoiding tropical deforestation, as a means of mitigating the effects of climate change. He also called for rewarding countries which have done a lot to preserve tropical rainforests.

Commonwealth Deputy Secretary-General Ransford Smith, also speaking at the opening ceremony, said that the need to address current challenges “makes me believe that we need more than ever, strong multilateral institutions, such as the Commonwealth.”

Global warming and climate change represent perhaps the largest challenge to our collective future, he emphasised.

Mr Smith noted that “the strength of the Commonwealth in dealing with global challenges resides in the breadth of circumstance and the diversity of experience that Commonwealth members can bring on global issues.”

Turning to aid, the Deputy Secretary-General stated that progress to date in implementing past aid commitments has been mixed.

He said that one of the “biggest disappointments this year is in trade”, with little progress in the Doha talks.

“The Commonwealth urges member countries to redouble their efforts to get the Doha Round on track. In doing so, we underscore the importance of aid for trade to help poor countries take advantage of new opportunities.”

The Minister of Finance of Guyana, Dr Ashni Singh, also spoke at the opening -- calling on all Commonwealth countries to build a global consensus on global issues that effect communities.

“As Finance Ministers, there is much more we can do to cushion the shocks in the global economy and address the challenges of climate change,” Dr Singh stressed.

CFMM ends on 17 October 2007.

Key Links:

• Sustainability
• Country Profile: Guyana