In recent weeks, President Irfaan Ali has held a number of bilateral engagements with world leaders and organisations on the sidelines of the various international meetings he attended.
Providing an update on the results of those bilateral talks last Friday during a virtual press conference on Friday, Ali said that the discussions were mainly centred on climate change and the environment, food security and sustainability, and Guyana’s oil and gas sector.
“You will see [some] of the key themes [of] all of my engagements internationally [have] been [centred] around food security and sustainability, climate change, climate action and of course, our deep interests and commitment in addressing the fundamental problems and issues of climate change, including the transitional resources that are key and critical in adaptation and mitigation,” he said.
In September, President Ali attended the sixth summit of the Community of Latin American and Cari-bbean States (CLACS) in Mexico City, where he placed much emphasis on the issues surrounding food security in the region and the need to develop and bolster food production in a sustainable and profitable manner.
The President related that food security is an emerging threat, with the sustainability of food supply being an issue in the Caribbean and Latin American states.
“To compound this, we have seen a sharp increase globally and this has to do not only with production issues but supply chain issues, logistic issues [and] transportation issues. If these challenges persist in the current environment, we’re going to be severely challenged in the region in terms of food supply and pricing. As a result of this, there is renewed interest in food production, agricultural production, food sustainability and security and we have been taking a proactive approach in positioning Guyana as a major player in the food supply chain, firstly within the CARICOM region, and then wider afield,” Ali told the press conference.
Additionally, Ali said that he had the opportunity to meet with a number of potential investors in Mexico with varied interests. He reiterated that in all his engagements, he lobbied for the involvement of the local private sector in partnering with potential investors.
As a result of those engagements, a contingent from Mexico is expected to be in Guyana in early 2022 to explore investments in the housing, tourism and mining sectors.
The president also engaged a number of world leaders on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly which was held in New York in mid-September. He said he updated the United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres on Guyana’s developmental agenda as well as other areas.
He held bilateral talks with the Prime Minister of Kuwait, Sabah Al Khalid Al Sabah, where they discussed cooperation in the areas of climate change and oil and gas investment. The Kuwaiti Prime Minis-ter also committed the help of the Kuwaiti Investment Fund to support Guyana’s national development needs.
The Prime Minister of Kuwait also expressed the desire to lead a team, including his private sector, to Guyana. Ali said his government is planning to facilitate this visit in 2022.
Colombian President Iván Duque Márquez also expressed his interest in an official visit to Guyana following his engagement with President Ali in the areas of defence and security and transnational crime.
Ali also met with the Presidents of Kosovo and Austria.
At the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) Leaders’ Summit, the Guyanese head of state supported the call for a multi-dimensional vulnerability index.
“That index would help to rate countries in terms of your vulnerability to natural disasters and effects of climate change. These vulnerabilities and effects would definitely have a link to the type of resources [that are needed] and the type of action that is taken and support that is given to those countries,” he said.
During a meeting between Ali and the President of the Maldives, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, the two leaders reiterated their commitment to collaborating in the areas of climate change and the environment.
“Maldives and Guyana always supported each other and were strong promoters on issues of climate change, and operated more or less like a spin twin. We were able to rekindle those relationships and to put together the technical team to collaborate and work together in areas of climate change and addressing areas of climate change,” Ali said.
Ahead of this weeks’ United Nations climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland, the president’s last international engagement was in Dubai for the World Expo, where he met with Sheikh Zayed Al Nahyan and other leaders. He said they laid the framework for cooperation in oil and gas among other areas.