Guyana at Delhi sustainable development summit
Former President Bharrat Jagdeo joined several high level officials including Mr, Kofi Annan, former Secretary General of the United Nations at the opening of the 14th Delhi Sustainable Development Summit (DSDS) in the Indian capital, New Delhi, under the theme Attaining Energy, Water and Food Security for All’.
Guyana was invited for a fourth year to participate by Dr. R.K Pachauri, Nobel Prize Laureate and Director-General of The Energy and Research Institute (TERI). DSDS 2014 is providing an important forum to discuss the critical issues of energy, water and food security for all. The timing is key as there is a mounting call for greater action to address climate change and for the global community to move towards higher efficiency in the use of resources.
Former President Jagdeo participated in the first Leadership Panel which discussed The Demographic Challenge’. The Panel was chaired by Mr. Nitin Desai, Distinguished Fellow from TERI and included Ms Tarja Halonen, Former President, Finland, Mr. Goran Persson, former Prime Minister of Sweden and Lord John Prescott, Former British Deputy Prime Minister.
Mr. Goran Persson, Former President Mr Bharrat Jagdeo, Mr. Nitin Desai, Ms. Tarja Halonen and Mr. John Prescott
In his presentation, Dr. Jagdeo outlined the need to have a global framework to address the challenges of energy, water and food security. He emphasised the need to cost the services that are provided from natural capital citing the example of hydrological and other services forests provide and which do not factor in economic considerations. Dr. Jagdeo suggested that the time has come for societies to utilise available technology and innovation to use less and achieve more while at the same time pursuing incentives to align profit with sustainable practices. He also used the opportunity to reflect on the difficulties being faced in getting global agreement on climate change citing the lack of urgency by developed countries in meeting their commitments.
The DSDS, organised annually by TERI since 2001, is an international undertaking that provides a platform for knowledge exchange and debate on all aspects of sustainable development. Over the past ten years, it has emerged as one of the most important forums on global sustainability issues, with a focus on developing world solutions. (Office of Climate Change)