Former President Bharrat Jagdeo is to take on the part-time roles of High Level Envoy for Sustainable Development in Forest Countries and Patron of Nature within the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN).
The IUCN made this announcement last week according to a press release from the Office of the President.
And IUCN Director General Julia Marton-Lefevre was quoted as saying: “I am delighted to welcome President Jagdeo into the IUCN family. For many years, he has been a powerful and articulate advocate for climate justice across the world, and he correctly identified a long time ago that developing countries can lead the way towards pragmatic solutions to big challenges. We very much look forward to partnering with President Jagdeo, and to drawing on his insights and knowledge.”
Speaking of his new roles, Jagdeo said: “The ideas and human energy that will solve many of today’s biggest global challenges will come from today’s developing world. In particular, forest countries and peoples will be to the fore of solving the inter-linked challenges around how we use our planet’s land – to feed the world, source the minerals needed for prosperous economies; preserve bio-diversity; avert climate catastrophe; and protect the rights and livelihoods of people who depend on forests. These are some of the biggest challenges in the world today. Working with IUCN, I hope that I can help to catalyse greater South-South innovation towards solutions, as well as support partnerships between forest nations and progressive countries and institutions from today’s industrialised world.”
The roles will be part-time, and they will be combined with Jagdeo’s work as Roving Ambassador for the Three Basins, which resulted from a request made in June 2011 by Heads of State and other leaders from all the world’s rainforest countries.
Meanwhile President Donald Ramotar welcomed the announcement and said: “All of Guyana should feel proud of how our former President continues to advocate for global climate justice. He was one of the first leaders in the world to grasp the scale of the climate change challenge – but he was also one of the first to articulate that developing countries could lead the way to solutions. Guyana has embarked on one of the world’s most ambitious low carbon development strategies.”
President Ramotar said further that Guyana is maintaining 99.5% of its forest in a way that aligns economic growth and socially inclusive development with action on climate change and environmental excellence.
He said it is expected that by 2016, Guyana will also virtually eliminate its energy-related greenhouse gas emissions through a combination of solar power in every indigenous and forest-dependent home, and the Amaila Falls hydro-electricity plant.
According to President Ramotar, this scale of ambition is far greater than anything being contemplated by any developed country, where even the most progressive are only talking about a 40% reduction in greenhouse emissions by 2020.
“It is living proof of President Jagdeo’s vision for a new development paradigm where today’s developing countries lead the way to inclusive green growth – and we are pleased that his experience in Guyana will now be available to help our brothers and sisters across the developing world. I call on all Guyanese to join with me in congratulating our former President,” President Ramotar concluded.
The IUCN is an international organization dedicated to finding “pragmatic solutions to our most pressing environment and development challenges.”
The organization supports scientific research, manages field projects all over the world and brings governments, non-government organizations, United Nations agencies, companies and local communities together to develop and implement policy, laws and best practice.
