WHEN Vice-President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo spoke at a Commonwealth roundtable last Saturday on sustainable urbanisation, he was not just fulfilling a diplomatic duty; he was sounding an alarm that the developing world can no longer be ignored.
This is a message Guyana, a small developing nation experiencing its own remarkable transformation, is in a unique position to deliver.
That moment had a historical significance. Twelve years ago, Jagdeo led the effort that created the Commonwealth Climate Finance Access Hub, which he presented at the 2014 CHOGM in Colombo. Now based in Mauritius, that Hub has mobilised nearly US$500 million in climate finance, supported over 100 projects, and deployed expert advisers in more than 15 countries. It is a clear success story; however, as the Vice President rightly points out, that level of success is still insufficient, given the scale of the challenges we face.
Climate change does not wait for bureaucratic processes. Rising seas, stronger storms, and the relentless pressures of rapid urbanisation are changing communities faster than governments, especially smaller ones, can react.
Jagdeo’s appeal for “new thinking, new tools, and a step change” in how the international community supports developing countries is not just talk; it is a necessity.
The way cities are designed and built, whether they are livable, economically vibrant, and resilient, will shape the lives of millions across the Commonwealth’s 56-member countries, which together make up about one-third of the world’s population.
What makes this intervention particularly striking is Jagdeo’s pointed remarks about artificial intelligence.
After attending the AI Summit in New Delhi with Heads of Government and technology leaders from Microsoft, Google, and OpenAI, he returned with a crucial insight: AI is already transforming planning and decision-making worldwide, but it risks leaving small and developing nations behind. His argument is sound and urgent.
If AI models are not trained on data from smaller and developing countries, those systems will not effectively serve those populations.
The divide between the Global North and Global South is not just about finance; it is increasingly about data. This is where the Commonwealth’s mission becomes vital.
An organisation with the geographic and demographic reach to bridge that data gap, covering the Caribbean, the Pacific, Africa, and South Asia, has a special duty to act. The necessary structure is already in place. What is now needed is the political will to expand it and to ensure that the next generation of climate and development solutions is created with, not just for, the world’s smaller states.
Guyana’s journey, from the pioneering Low Carbon Development Strategy to its now globally recognised role in green growth, shows what is possible when developing nations are given the right tools and opportunities to lead. VP Jagdeo’s message at the Commonwealth roundtable was not one of asking for handouts.
It was a call from a proven problem-solver, reminding the global community that the developing world has valuable ideas worth investing in, and that the time to invest is now.
