Chairmanship of G77 and China, flagship event restored Guyana’s credibility -Minister Todd

Guyana’s Chairmanship of the Group of 77 and China and hosting of the virtual flagship event on climate change has restored the country’s credibility on the world stage.  Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Hon. Hugh Todd said despite the constraints, Guyana has had a good tenure as Chair.

The Minister made these statements during an interview on DPI’s “The Progress Report.”

Guyana, he said, lost some momentum as Chair of the Group due to the political situation following the General and Regional Elections; however, President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali’s robust leadership allowed the country to leave a lasting impression on the world.

“I think it was well received and I think it showed that Guyana is still able to punch above its weight as a small country. We were able to regain a lot of what we would have lost in terms of our global image and standing and we were able to achieve that when we took office in August.”

The Virtual Ministerial level meeting, which saw close to 200 participants, garnered positive feedback from international partners.

Minister Todd also noted that Vice President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo’s presentation on climate financing was one of the highlights of the event.

“I think that we have achieved a lot. So, when Guinea takes the Chair, they can provide continuity to what we have been able to achieve… I think we have bigger things to do at the multilateral level. There are some initiatives that we plan to pursue and I think that we will be able to advise the Guyanese people as we progress,” he said.  

The virtual flagship event was held under the theme “Maintaining a Low Carbon Development Path towards the 2030 Agenda in the Era of COVID-19.” The objective was  to find ways to effectively combat the effects of climate change while also battling COVID-19.

The Group of 77 and China is a coalition of 134 developing nations set up to promote its members’ collective economic interests and create an enhanced joint negotiating capacity in the UN.