Prime Minister Brigadier (Ret’d), the Honourable Mark Phillips stressed the need for leadership at all levels, during his keynote address at the three-day Energy and Resource Institute’s (TERI) 2024 World Sustainable Development Summit (WSDS), which will conclude on February 9 in New Delhi, India.
The Prime Minister said that leadership is needed at the global, national, and sub-national levels to be able to take “timely and decisive steps toward meeting sustainable development goals”.
He also challenged the leaders present to deliberate upon and forge partnerships that are critical to achieving the Paris Agreement goals and, more importantly, that are needed to keep the planet and its people healthy.
In addressing the theme of this year’s summit Leadership for Sustainable Development and Climate Justice, Prime Minister Phillip noted that “despite the many challenges experienced globally, including lack of sustainable financing, supply chain challenges, fiscal deficits, high debt levels, inflationary pressures and higher energy and material prices, national commitments must not waver”.
Accordingly, he emphasised that “as the year 2030 approaches, there is a need for international cooperation and collaboration from the public and private sectors to address the complexities and uncertainties in climate financing, technical capacities, policies, and regulatory frameworks to drive the energy transition”.
He also highlighted the paradox that developing countries contribute the least towards global emissions but are the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change, which is further compounded by the challenges of securing climate finance for adaptation and access to technology transfer for decarbonisation.
READ MORE: PM advocates for decisive global leadership in sustainable development – DPI Guyana