PRESIDENT, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, continues to make waves on the international arena. His latest address at the United Nations General Assembly has been well received by Heads of State and policymakers across the globe.

Speaking at the UN sponsored High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development and 78 Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, President Ali again highlighted the importance of the developed world to show greater understanding of the challenges faced by the developing countries.
According to the Guyanese President: “We will not have a world where everyone everywhere enjoys their full human rights, peace and security and is free from poverty and hunger unless the right to development is realized and respected.”

The problems faced by developing countries are structural and can only be addressed by the collective resolve of the richer nations to make available the required financial resources based on agreed commitments.

So far, only a handful of countries are making meaningful efforts to honour pledges made at several international fora such as the summits on Sustainable Development and at the Conferences of Parties (COPs) to mitigate the impact of climate change.

It is important to recall that the United Nations way back in the 1960s designated the 1960-1970 period as the first United Nations Development Decade. This was followed in 1964 by a United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) but despite several other development conferences, the issue of poverty and underdevelopment still persists.
President Ali must be commended for pushing the developmental agenda along the lines of a new global human order as envisioned by the late Dr. Cheddi Jagan which was in fact adopted by the United Nations General Assembly several decades ago.

In this regard, President Ali is right on spot. The global financial architecture is out of sync with the needs of the developing world. ‘Our international financial architecture is out of sync with the needs of developing countries and must be reformed. Developing countries are faced with higher food inflation – five per cent higher than the rest of the world in most cases, President Ali told the world gathering of leaders.

In the case of Latin America and the Caribbean, a whopping $2.2 trillion is needed to bridge the financial gap in four critical areas of the Sustainable Development Goals, namely access to water and sanitation, energy, infrastructure and sustainable cities.

Guyana is fortunately in a relatively better position vis-a-vis other countries in the region, thanks to our oil revenues and, as such, in a better position to make strategic interventions in several areas of human development. Per capita spending, for example, in education, health and security have increased significantly.
Huge sums of money are spent on poverty alleviation measures including subsidies on water and electricity for pensioners. Age-old pensions have been increased and further increases are on the cards. The country has been making substantial progress in the areas of sustainable human development along the lines of the ‘One Guyana’ concept as envisaged by President Ali.

Guyana’s development is inextricably linked to that of other countries, many of which are still reeling under the impact of rising food prices occasioned by climate change and supply-chain disruptions due to the war in Ukraine and the Covid-19 pandemic. But, as repeatedly stated by President Ali, Guyana’s increasing oil and gas revenues will be used to promote regional development, especially in the key areas of food, energy security and climate change.
President Ali is certainly making his presence felt on the global stage, as he continues to promote his agenda of a better world based on the principles of economic and social justice.