PRESIDENT Bharrat Jagdeo is among members on a panel that will today address investing in the world’s forests in a special session convened in New York by former United States President Bill Clinton.

The special session on forests is one of seven set up by Clinton to address key global priorities, including climate change.

Mr. Jagdeo is in New York where he on Tuesday joined other world leaders for the United Nations summit on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

The summit was called by UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon to review progress against the eight development goals agreed by world leaders in 2000.

During a packed agenda, Mr. Jagdeo also met Clinton and had a series of meetings with other world leaders, including Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg and Australian Foreign Minister (and former Prime Minister) Kevin Rudd.

The Government Information Agency (GINA) said that at a round table of leaders Tuesday which addressed progress towards the MDGs, the President stressed the need to focus on a holistic approach to meeting the targets.

He said that while it was right to hold developing countries to account for their progress, it was also essential to hold the developed world to account – and he highlighted what he described as double standards in global trade, coupled with the unbalanced approach taken to combat the financial and climate crises.

On Tuesday morning, Mr. Jagdeo joined Mr. Clinton at the opening of the 2010 annual meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI).
GINA said that at the opening plenary session, Clinton and four panelists discussed how corporations, governments, non-profit organisations, foundations and other stakeholders can collaborate to empower the poor, improve access to education and health care, develop alternative sources of energy and create a cleaner environment.
Tarja Halonen, President of Finland, participated in the panel along with Melinda French Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Robert McDonald, President, Chairman and CEO of Procter & Gamble, and Eric Schmidt, Chairman and CEO of Google.
“CGI members come from 90 different countries, speak many languages, work in all sectors, and approach problems in unique ways”, Clinton said. “But together, their desire and capacity to build a better world for our children and grandchildren has resulted in 1,946 commitments, valued at 63 billion dollars, which have already improved nearly 300 million lives.”
The Clinton Foundation is also supporting the implementation of Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) which is centred on preserving its forests to mitigate climate change while also gaining financial and other support for doing so.
GINA said President Jagdeo is scheduled to address the UN General Assembly on Saturday.
The MDGs are eight international development goals that all 192 UN member countries and at least 23 international organisations agreed to achieve by 2015. They were officially established at the Millennium Summit in 2000 where leaders adopted the UN Millennium Declaration from which the eight goals were promoted. These have 21 targets and a series of measurable indicators for each.
The goals are: eradicate extreme poverty and hunger; achieve universal primary education; promote gender equality and empower women; improve child mortality; improve maternal health, combat HIV/AIDS and other diseases; ensure environmental sustainability and develop a global partnership for development.