Guyana’s Foreign Secretary Robert Persaud has commended President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali for taking a “bold and historic” step in rallying the international community to address the global biodiversity crisis.
Persaud highlighted that the launch of the Global Biodiversity Alliance demonstrates Guyana’s steadfast commitment to providing leadership that turns passion for nature into concrete action.
Speaking on the United for Biodiversity: The Alliance Podcast on Wednesday, Persaud underscored the significance of Guyana’s leadership through policy and practical, results-driven action.
The foreign secretary emphasised that although the climate change narrative has often overshadowed biodiversity loss, Guyana’s leadership is setting a new tone by mobilising the global community through the Global Biodiversity Alliance, a concept launched by President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali at the United Nations General Assembly in 2023 and realised through the Global Biodiversity Alliance Summit that got underway in Guyana on Wednesday.
“Biodiversity degradation is one area that has not been given the type of attention and action. And the fact that the president, last September at the United Nations General Assembly, announced this Global Biodiversity Alliance initiative, and is now moving very quickly to convening a summit of the alliance, I think, is testimony (to its importance).”
Persaud further promoted Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) as a successful, replicable model that challenges conventional economic thinking, demonstrating that standing forests can deliver greater long-term economic benefits than deforestation.
The foreign secretary emphasised that Guyana’s approach offers forest nations a blueprint that combines forest preservation with economic opportunities, particularly for indigenous and rural communities.
He believes that the global conversation must now evolve into measurable action and that the financial architecture to support this work must be solidified.
Foreign Secretary Persaud called for stronger collaboration from the international private sector, NGOs, and global institutions, many of which were present at the summit, including Yale and Concordia Universities.
The Global Biodiversity Alliance Summit taking place at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC) aims to transition these conversations into results, which will ultimately translate into benefits for communities and the planet as a whole.
The summit concludes on Friday, July 25, 2025.
