– President Ali calls for unified global marketing platform

PRESIDENT Dr Irfaan Ali has called on forest-rich nations to reframe the global narrative around forests and look at them as both environmental assets and economic powerhouses that are capable of transforming livelihoods.
The Head of State made these remarks on Tuesday evening at the opening of the Forest Climate Leaders Partnership (FCLP), where he made the call for leveraging forests as climate safeguards and tools for sustainable development.
He said, “We have to demonstrate how the forest can stimulate economic and livelihood opportunities.”

Dr Ali further positioned the green economy as central to the global climate agenda and indicated that maintaining forests should not come at the expense of economic opportunity.
Against this backdrop, he highlighted that Guyana is already pioneering a model where revenues from carbon sales are invested back into forest-based communities.
These investments, he said, are designed to enhance livelihood options, enhance infrastructure and create opportunities within the forest itself.
Beyond the impact locally, he indicated that forest nations must unite to unlock the true value of their natural resources.
“We have to understand how do we leverage the brand of the forest in the world,” he said.

Further to this, he presented a proposal and stated, “Imagine if the forested countries, if we come together, the 32 of us now and launch one common marketing platform where we develop products that are sustainable and we sell it on this common platform.”
Such a move, he said, could revolutionise how eco products are promoted and traded globally while also supporting small and medium-sized enterprises that are rooted in sustainable practices.

He added, “If 32 of us decide that we’re going to market each other’s eco-tourism product. That we’re going to support each other in different corners of the world… That together we are going to build the scientific, the economic, the social, the financial and the human platform that will support up keeping the forests and ensuring it’s intact, then we have an important responsibility of creating in the mindset of people, a level of consciousness that allows you to act involuntarily.”

Meanwhile, to bring this level of consciousness or awareness to the population, President Ali said that Guyana has come up with a creative idea that is now in development.
He stated that the country is preparing to launch a series of virtual reality and immersive videos showcasing Guyana’s forests and waterfalls, aimed at deepening public appreciation and support for conservation.
The FCLP, initiated in 2022, is a focused effort of governments with partners committed to expanding and maintaining high-level political leadership on forests and climate, among other things, comprising 32 countries.