Guyana’s former President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo in his capacity as Patron-in-Chief delivered the feature remarks at the World Sustainable Development Forum (WSDF).
The forum which convened in Mexico City over the period February 1-2 2018, brought together leading luminaries and global personalities in the area of climate change and sustainable development.
Among those making presentations were several former Heads of States – Jose Manuel Barrosa, former Prime Minister of Portugal and former President of the European Union, Dr Lawrence Gonzi, former Prime Minister of Malta and Yukio Hatoyama , former Prime Minister of Japan , along with representatives from the Government of Mexico.
Leading CEOs and representatives from business, academia and civil society were also part of the two day event which saw presentations from former Governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger and Hollywood actor and climate change advocate Leonardo Di Caprio . Also present were representatives of international organisations including the United Nations.
The forum which was hosted by Mexico’s capital city- and with sponsorship from the Leonardo Di Caprio Foundation, United States Energy Association among others- focused on critical issues such as Ambition and the Paris Agreement, Energy Transformation, The Leadership Challenge on climate change and sustainable development and the role of key stakeholders such as businesses and civil society.
Jagdeo, in his remarks indicated that WSDF is being convened at a time when there is loss of political momentum from the high note of Paris 2015.
He said “we need to push for the implementation of the Paris Agreement and to raise both the level of ambition and financing to support implementation.”
Jagdeo pointed out that the discussion is shifting from one of cost of implementation to one of opportunity and where there is a significant role for the private sector.
He also pointed out that there is no single approach for all countries, especially developing countries, where support is needed to assist them for both climate adaptation and mitigation.
In relation to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Jagdeo stated that similar to the building of momentum for action on climate change, there is need for broader awareness and action involving not only Governments but also the private sector, academia and civil society.
Also in attendance at the Forum was Shyam Nokta, former Adviser to the President on climate change and who is a member of the WSDF International Advisory Board.
Nokta participated in several sessions including the key one on Ambition and the Paris Agreement where he used the opportunity to highlight the Guyana Norway Forest Partnership and the importance of forests in achieving climate change goals.
WSDF is expected to be an annual event to help raise awareness and push for action on climate change and sustainable development.
