Georgetown : Former President Bharrat Jagdeo, M.P., was invited by former US President Bill Clinton to the Clinton Global Initiative’s Annual Meeting, which started yesterday morning. This year’s Annual Meeting is the 12th and final meeting and addressed a series of global issues, including how the international community can build from last year’s historic Paris Climate Agreement. President Clinton and the Clinton Foundation had been highly supportive of Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS), with a team from the Clinton Foundation working with the Guyana Forestry Commission and the Office of the President during Mr Jagdeo’s Presidency.
Mr Jagdeo praised the Clinton Foundation for its help to Guyana and said that it was an example of modern forms of global partnership which seek to solve big problems. Mr Jagdeo said “The conversations here today are focused on the world’s most pressing issues – things like climate change, global migration, terrorism, stagnating economic growth and youth un-employment. As we listen to each other, we hear again and again about how societies all around the world suffer when leaders move away from evidence-based policy, and instead forge policy through prejudice. In developed and developing countries, we are seeing how intellectually-weak policies are combining with the rise of populist politicians to put development into reverse. The answer to these threats is the reassertion of progressive politics across the world.”
The Annual Meeting opened with public discussions, including between President Clinton, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, Argentinian Prime Minister Mauricio Macri and the recently-elected Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan. Prime Minster Renzi made a passionate call for Europe to respond positively to changes in the world, and the Mayor of London spoke of how “progressive politics works.” Rock star and activist Bono joined European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Federica Mogherini, in conversation with former US Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright, and they amplified the need for more openness and less populism in international policy-making, particularly as it related to the global migration crisis.
After attending the CGI, Mr Jagdeo moved to a further set of meetings in New York, focussed on international plans to address climate change. The Paris Climate Agreement is likely to become international law in the coming months after it is ratified by the requisite number of countries, so global leaders are now consulting on how its provisions can be strengthened and global ambition to combat climate change can be increased.
Mr Jagdeo will then travel to Florida, where he has been asked to be the guest speaker at the Eric Williams Memorial Lecture at Florida University in Miami. Dr. Eric Williams was the first Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, and the Memorial Lecture in his honour has seen many world personalities speak, including former US Secretary of State, Colin Powell; the former President of Zambia, Kenneth Kaunda; and former Prime Minister of Jamaica, PJ Patterson. Last year’s speaker was St Vincent and the Grenadines head of government Dr Ralph Gonsalves
Following the engagement at Florida University, Mr. Jagdeo will meet with groups of university students in Florida, and he will also be meeting with members of the Guyanese community in both New York and Florida.
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