King Charles’ climate leadership helped shape Guyana’s global forest agenda – Pres. Ali

President Dr Irfaan Ali has praised King Charles III for his longstanding relationship with Guyana and his contributions to tropical forest conservation, climate action and sustainable development, ahead of the British monarch’s visit next week.

In an interview with Robert Moore of ITV News, the United Kingdom’s main commercial news network, the President highlighted the King’s longstanding association with Guyana, particularly his role in championing tropical forests, promoting opportunities for Indigenous peoples, and advocating for greater recognition of the value of forests in addressing climate change.

Ali noted that the King’s association with Guyana included his patronage of the Iwokrama Rainforest Conservation Area and his efforts to raise international awareness of the importance of tropical forests in addressing climate change.

“He has worked tremendously hard in positioning tropical forests as a global asset that must be valued, with the benefits reaching those who keep the forests alive,” the President said.

Ali also highlighted the King’s contribution to promoting opportunities for Indigenous communities, supporting Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy and building bilateral and international support for the country’s environmental initiatives.

He said the King’s friendship, leadership and partnership with Guyana, particularly in advancing forest conservation and recognising the country’s contribution to global climate action, had helped establish a strong relationship between the two.

Nevertheless, the Guyanese Head of State noted that King Charles should not be narrowly defined as only an activist. He said King Charles is a great thinker on issues of climate change and environment and has helped to shape many global policies.

“He looks at this from a market perspective. He looks at financing for carbon credits. He looks at insurance companies being involved in mitigation. He has been in all the discussions when it comes to loss and damage. So, to define him as an activist, I think, is not to capture his holistic role when it comes to climate change. You don’t see climate change only from an activist perspective. He sees the market opportunity. He sees the critical necessity of integrating climate action with economic prosperity and growth and development. So, I think I would want to look at his contribution in a wider context,” Ali stated.

King Charles will be visiting Georgetown this October to participate in celebrations to mark 60 years of bilateral relations between the UK and Guyana.

The visit will coincide with Their Majesties King Charles and Queen Camilla Autumn Tour, which will run from October 27 to November 4, 2026. It includes a Royal Visit to the Bahamas, of which His Majesty is also Head of State, and then the State Visit to Georgetown on October 29-30. The British Royals will conclude the tour with a Royal Visit to Antigua and Barbuda to coincide with Their Majesties’ attendance at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) 2026.

This will be the first visit to Georgetown by any member of the British Royal Family in nearly 10 years after Prince Harry’s December 2016 Caribbean tour that included Guyana. King Charles first visited Guyana in 2000 as then Prince of Wales, during which he became the patron of the Iwokrama International Centre, supporting its mission of sustainable forest management and research.

In fact, His Majesty has been an active participant and supporter of Guyana’s work in climate, environment, forestry and more recently, biodiversity. Only in January of this year, President Ali had met with King Charles at Buckingham Palace, where they engaged in discussions on ongoing collaborations in the areas of environmental protection, biodiversity, and climate action.

Through The King’s Foundation, the British Monarch is also supporting the advancement of Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) 2030, including a major urban planning and sustainability initiative for Georgetown. Working alongside the Office of the President and other key national stakeholders, The King’s Foundation said back in May that it has helped shape a strategy that reimagines Georgetown as a garden city, supporting walkable neighbourhoods and revitalising its historic waterfront via seven major projects.

Other initiatives focus on creating healthier and more accessible streets for walking and cycling in Georgetown, as well as developing innovative architecture that integrates nature-based climate solutions, such as the proposed Biodiversity Demonstration Building. A key element of the programme is Harmony Village and the Centre for Indigenous Knowledge, planned in the rural community of Moraikobai. Inspired by His Majesty The King’s long-standing commitment to sustainable communities, the project will support Indigenous-led development through education, enterprise and training in areas such as sustainable farming, traditional medicine, craft production and ecological stewardship.

The Harmony Village, amongst other projects in Guyana supported by The King’s Foundation, was recently showcased in the landmark documentary feature film Finding Harmony: A King’s Vision from Prime Video.