President Irfaan Ali has once again called for urgent global action to address pressing worldwide issues such as poverty, climate change, food insecurity, and inequality.
The president, according to a press release from the Department of Public Information [DPI], made the appeal during the Summit of the Future at the 6th plenary meeting of the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly. On Sunday, the UN assembly adopted a ‘Pact for the Future’ that includes a Global Digital Compact and a Declaration on Future Generations. It aims, DPI says, to ensure that international institutions can deliver in the face of a rapidly changing global landscape.
It is against this backdrop, DPI said that Ali stressed that now is the time to turn “ambition into action”. He emphasized, according to DPI, the need for a more equitable and sustainable future for all, pointing to global cooperation and reform to achieve these goals. “Meeting the climate finance commitments can no longer be postponed. Forests are an integral part of the climate solution. And it is time for a global market-based mechanism for carbon credits to be put in place. Our global food security continues to deteriorate, and the projections are alarming,” DPI quoted the president as saying.
Ali reiterated that an estimated US$90 billion in global financing is needed between now and 2030 to provide a basic social safety net. According to DPI, the head of state said that the entire 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is at risk if the world fails to meet the basic needs of its people. “It is our collective responsibility to provide the US$300 to US$500 billion needed to transform our global food system. Technology transfer, insurance for farmers, access to finance, and fair-trade rules are all part of the solution,” he said. Ali underscored the importance of equitable access to technology, urging global leaders to ensure that public policies and global strategies are aligned with the agenda to bridge digital divides and leverage Artificial Intelligence for the benefit of all. He said, “We must reform the international financial architecture and make it more inclusive and conducive to the sustainable development for all.”
Moreover, DPI said the Guyanese leader highlighted inclusivity as a cornerstone of the Sustainable Development agenda, adding that more must be done to ensure that women and youth are integral in global decisions. “The future we envision must target directly the more than 340 million women and girls projected to live in poverty by 2030. It must also address the 110 million young women and girls projected to remain out of school by 2030. The 24% of women and girls projected to be food insecure and the 245 million women and girls [who] will experience sexual or gender-based violence by 2030,” the president emphasised.
