Jagdeo named Patron in Chief at World Sustainable Development Forum

Guyana’s Opposition Leader, Dr Bharrat Jagdeo, is currently attending the first ‘World Sustainable Development Forum’ being held in Mexico City under the theme ‘Implementing the Paris Agreement and the SDGs’.

The three-day forum, which kicked off on Thursday, features several keynote addresses, high level panel discussions and parallel sessions focused on specific themes and issues. Jagdeo is among several panelists, including: Jean Charest, Former Premier of Quebec, and former Minister of Environment, Canada; Lord Deben, John Gummer, Chairman of the UK’s independent Committee on Climate Change, UK; Felix Finkbeiner, Chair and Founder, Plant-for-the-Planet, Germany; Sir David King, Former Special Representative for Climate Change at Foreign & Commonwealth Office, UK; Brice Lalonde, Former Minister of Environment, France; Dr. Carlos Lopes, Visiting Professor, University of Cape Town; and former Executive Secretary, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa; Dr. Thomas Lovejoy, Senior Fellow, United Nations Foundation, Washington, DC, USA; Mr. Erik Solheim, Executive Director, United Nations Environment Programme; and Nobel Laureate H.E. Dr. José Ramos-Horta, Former President of East Timor, Timor-Leste.
The former Guyanese President has also been named Patron in Chief of the Forum, being hosted by the not- for-profit organization.
The Forum is co-sponsored by the Government of Mexico City; a group of world class universities in Mexico; and has the support of business and industry as well as the research and academic community in Mexico. The Forum is intended to place great importance on the nature and timing of the energy transition required worldwide, by which the concentration of GHGs in the atmosphere can be limited and the risks from the impacts of climate change contained to ensure the wellbeing of future generations.
The WSDF is a global initiative to promote and mobilize global action for effective implementation of both the Paris agreement on climate change and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the UN General Assembly. It is working to analyse and facilitate the transformation of society towards a post fossil fuel future while implementing the critical goals identified in the SDGs.