Georgetown – Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces, President Bharrat Jagdeo wants the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) to be more aware of the battles at the global level.
The President yesterday addressing officers at the annual GDF officers’ Conference, made reference to the economic circumstances in the global environment, global trade negotiations, food crisis and climate change as among the current challenges in which the army should have a vested interest.
Foremost among the new challenges is the significant quest for a return to a global economy stable enough to provide opportunities to the developing world.
The United States and other major economies that have been hit hard by the crisis are on the road to recovery with a significant portion of the work force still unemployed, he said.
A return to the momentum in global trade negotiations was the second global challenge which President Jagdeo spoke about, lamenting that the developing countries are yet to benefit from trade negotiations and the strategic move.
President Jagdeo said that the spike in food prices this year is likely to lead to a huge challenge with enough potential to spark civil disorder, a prediction already evident in Tunisia.
In the area of climate change the challenges persist and, President Jagdeo continues to express disappointment in the way in which the developed world is treating the issue as they remain unwilling to make commitments that will lead to a stabilizing of temperatures to two degrees Celsius by 2050.
He said developed world is unwilling to finance what it takes to meet those commitments and that there is a huge debate about who should pay for mitigation and adaptation measures.
