Many people, possibly through partisanship, find it uneasy to echo the many strides President Bharrat Jagdeo has made and continues to make on the international scene. Undoubtedly, President Jagdeo is now internationally accepted and a force to reckon with in international relations. This President stands up to his duties quite confidently, competently, proudly, and resolutely, and has hobnobbed with most of the top world leaders. And clearly, his work extends well beyond the borders of Guyana.

He brings new zeal, new vision, and a new methodology to development. We see this in a clear direction of his economic strategy of diversification and international competitiveness. Lest we forget, let us for the record document President Jagdeo’s historic and relentless efforts to secure adequate debt relief for Guyana, by virtue of the state of the economy in 1992, and the interim eight or nine years that Guyana took to reach financial viability. And debt relief is not automatic, contrary to misconceptions peddled by the President’s detractors.

Today, President Jagdeo continues to push for a consolidation of democracy, sustain macroeconomic fundamentals, and advance his international Initiatives on Agriculture and Climate Change.

As lead Minister of Agriculture for CARICOM, he remains committed to agriculture as a business; as holistic, with a spread across the whole agri-product chain and with natural links to other productive sectors; and as significant to promoting value-added food products and non-food products.

The decibels for President Jagdeo rise astronomically when a discussion of ‘climate change’ surfaces internationally. President Jagdeo, without demur, has become one of the leading exponents of the climate change initiative, now integral to this Government’s developmental strategy.

President Jagdeo met with worldwide leaders at Summit of the Americas early this year, championing the virtues and significance of agriculture and climate change within CARICOM and beyond the shores of the Caribbean; creating opportunities to further advance these matters in bilaterals where significant discussions of a micro nature generally take place.

And today, President Jagdeo continues to gain international respect and acceptance by meeting with more top world leaders, such as, UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon; President of the World Bank Robert Zoellick; President of Republic of Congo Denis Saaou-Nguesso; Prime Minister of Norway Jens Stoltenberg; Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea Michael T Somare; and Prime Minister of Sweden Fredrik Reinfeldt, at a UN Summit in New York to discuss their commitment and support for REDD – Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in developing countries. Prime Minister of Australia Kevin Rudd, among others, also graced this historic discussion on climate change.

For these reasons, let us set aside political differences and feel proud of Guyana’s President Jagdeo whose inexorable efforts to champion initiatives on climate change, agriculture, and macroeconomic fundamentals, beyond the Caribbean, incrementally advance the international stature of Guyana, and simultaneously add to the rising international prominence of this President. At last, President Jagdeo has penetrated the global village!
Prem Misir