Britain’s exemplary policy and support for a binding agreement on steep emission cuts and adequate climate change financing were hailed by President Jagdeo at a reception in honour of the 84th birth anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II. The event was held last evening at the Bel Air residence of British High Commissioner Fraser Wheeler, and was attended by several members of the diplomatic community, Government officials and Members of Parliament.
At the occasion, President Jagdeo joined the British High Commissioner and his wife Sarah Wheeler and Prime Minister Samuel Hinds in a toast to the good health of the Queen on her birthday.
Guyana’s relationship with the British can be traced to the colonial when the country was a colony of the British Empire before gaining independence in 1966.
President Jagdeo shared similar sentiments as the British High Commissioner, that there have been significant changes in the world since Her Majesty acceded to the throne.
Serving as the Head of the Commonwealth, President Jagdeo said Her Majesty has been a ‘shining example’ of an effective leader who brings together a large group of developing and developed countries to shape world policies.
Reference was made to the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Trinidad and Tobago which set the stage for a big input in the Copenhagen discussions.
“Many of you may not know, but the fast track funding that was decided in Copenhagen emerged out of discussions that started at the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Trinidad and Tobago, and even the sums that were agreed to approximated the sums that we were arguing for,” President Jagdeo said.
Recognizing that climate change poses a great challenge to future humanity and a bigger challenge to the developing world, President Jagdeo said the British Government’s support in the fight must be commended.
High Commissioner Wheeler said the British Government had an input in Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) from the onset, and is proud to see the stage to which it has developed.
“From this initiative, a valuable partnership has emerged between the UK and Guyana on combating climate change,” the High Commissioner said.
President Jagdeo expressed the hope that work with the British will continue so that a momentum is built that will bring together the concerns of the developed and developing world for a united force to forge an acceptable agreement.
“Without a binding agreement, we will not be able to tackle this problem,” President Jagdeo said, as he zeroed in on the position taken by the British Government to address deforestation by advancing the proposal for the Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD +) initiative.
Guyana sees REDD+ as critical to its LCDS, and the President alluded to the role played by His Royal Highness Prince Charles to draw the world’s attention to deforestation and its impact on climate change and the loss of biodiversity, long before the topic of forests came into the picture.
“He has worked tirelessly to bring people together in a very practical way to resolve this issue. The most recent engagement was in Oslo. I met with him and had a long discussion, and his question to me was ‘how can we help to move your initiative along?’ He has already been helpful and continues to do so,” President Jagdeo said.(GINA)