GBA must be where action starts, not just talk – Pres Ali outlines 6-step plan for next 12 months

President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali has outlined six steps for the Global Biodiversity Alliance (GBA) to undertake over the next 12 months, aimed at translating ideas from this week’s conference into projects, investment and tangible results on the ground.

This would put the Alliance’s membership of universities, research institutions, scientists and financial bodies to work.

“Our ambition is for the GBA to become the place where action gets started, not simply where discussion takes place,” the president said on Day Two of the Second GBA Conference at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC) on Saturday.

The plan builds on the challenge he issued at Friday’s opening, when he called on each biodiversity-rich member country to develop one investment-ready project before the Alliance meets again next year.

A full programme of work, with priorities and partners, will go to all members before the end of November

Solution labs

First, the GBA will set up “solution labs.”

These are small, focused groups that will work through specific problems standing between good ideas and practical action, such as making biodiversity credits investable and removing barriers to private sector finance.

“These should not simply be department committees organised around broad subjects. They should focus on specific problems that need solving,” he said.

Meanwhile, Senior Director of Climate and REDD+ in the Office of the President, Pradeepa Bholanath, will lead a working group to design how the labs will operate and set their first priorities, with a plan due by the end of November.

Keeping pace with global commitments

The Alliance’s work will stay aligned with the UN Convention on Biological Diversity. Members will be expected to keep working together between international meetings, not only at summits.

“We are not here to duplicate the work of international institutions. We are here to help them succeed,” the president said.

Private sector investment summit

The GBA will convene an investment and financing summit, most likely in London in June 2027.

The Summit will widen an existing collaboration involving Guyana’s private sector to bring in more private sector players.

Investors, philanthropies, international lenders and the bond market are expected to attend. Before then, the Secretariat will work with members to prepare a compendium of projects ready to present.

“By the time we get to June, we have to have projects ready to be presented, opportunities ready to be presented,” the head of state said.

Projects in communities

Before the end of this year, a coordinating team in the Secretariat will help build livelihood programmes in 20 to 30 biodiversity-rich communities across the membership, using the Alliance’s own experts instead of waiting years for consultants.

The secretariat will bring together research, audit and monitoring expertise from partners, so any member can turn to one place for help with technology, skills and resources.

AI and quantum computing

A group of members will look at how artificial intelligence and quantum computing can advance conservation, and what guardrails are needed.

A separate team will work with the COPs and other international forums so the Alliance can act as a bridge between global commitments.

“We cannot leave that conversation for five years from now,” President Ali said.

He said that when members meet again next year in Georgetown, he wants them to see that real problems have been solved.

“Our success will not be measured by the number of meetings we organise or declarations we receive. It will be measured by the problems we can solve, the finance we mobilise, and the difference we make in people’s lives,” he said.

The two-day Conference is themed “Investing in Nature: Accelerating Biodiversity Finance for Sustainable Development.” [DPI]