President Ali appointed Commonwealth Champion of Biodiversity

President Ali has been appointed a Commonwealth Champion of Biodiversity – a recognition of his advocacy for biodiversity conservation and sustainable development.
This appointment was made during the recently held Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Antigua and Barbuda, where King Charles III launched his Commonwealth Nature Initiative (CNI).
In a brief statement on Wednesday, the Office of the President in Georgetown said “The appointment further strengthens Guyana’s leadership in mobilising global action through the Global Biodiversity Alliance and shaping a future where biodiversity conservation delivers real economic opportunities and lasting prosperity for people and communities across the Commonwealth and beyond.”
Pioneered by President Ali, the Global Biodiversity Alliance (GBA) was launched in July 2025 and now boosts a membership of almost 150. Just last week, Guyana hosted the second conference of the Alliance, bringing together leading global researchers, thinkers, financial institutions, policymakers and other key stakeholders with the aim of closing the financing gap for nature protection.
In fact, the GBA summit had coincided with a two-day state visit by King Charles to Guyana prior to attending this year’s CHOGM.
While in Georgetown, His Majesty had commended President Ali for his role in pushing the biodiversity conservation agenda.
“I just wanted to say how much I admire what is happening here in Guyana. And I look forward so much to seeing how the balance can be struck between development and conservation and nature regeneration,” the King had stated on October 30.
At the time, he was visiting the Authur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC) in Georgetown, where he interacted with local and global conservation leaders who have gathered here for the GBA conference.
His Majesty had also lauded Guyana for its environmental stewardship, stating that the country deserves to be rewarded for its forest conservation efforts and for maintaining its rich biodiversity resources.
“Here in Guyana, you have the most wonderful example of a really special treasure of natural species. You’ve managed to keep some enormous percentage of your forests. That is an incredible achievement and, of course, deserves to be rewarded,” King Charles posited.
King Charles last visited Guyana in 2000 as Prince of Wales and became a patron of the Iwokrama International Centre for Rain Forest Conservation and Development.
Since then, he has been supporting Guyana’s environmental work and has even played a key role in helping to craft the country’s Low-Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS), which was launched in 2009 under the Bharrat Jagdeo presidency and was subsequently expanded by the Ali-led administration.
Rolled out in 2022, LCDS 2030 builds on the original strategy that focused on global models for low-deforestation development pathways. The revised plan now sets out how Guyana can start to prepare for potential revenue streams from other ecosystem services such as biodiversity.
Meanwhile, during the launch of the King Charles-led CNI on Monday, President Ali in delivering remarks had contended that The Commonwealth has an important role to play in efforts to conserve and protect the world’s biodiversity resources, as he outlined a vision for greater collaboration among member states on biodiversity science, financing and knowledge sharing.
The CNI is an international conservation effort launched with a US$202.2 million initial pledge to help middle- and low-income Commonwealth countries accelerate progress toward the global 30×30 target (conserving at least 30 per cent of the world’s lands and oceans by 2030).
Ali explained that Commonwealth countries can take Guyana’s LCDS and GBA agendas as examples of how environmental financing and conservation efforts can be mutually reinforcing rather than competing objectives. Further, he posited that Commonwealth states are uniquely positioned to connect countries rich in natural assets with the financial and scientific resources needed to protect them, and they should collaborate and make this possible.
The Guyanese President went on to cite plans for a new Commonwealth-led mechanism headquartered in Guyana and ongoing efforts. He reasoned that biodiversity conservation is not just as an environmental issue but as a development imperative that must be connected to jobs, economic opportunity and improved livelihoods.
In fact, he noted that practical steps have already been agreed upon, including plans for an investment and finance forum expected to be held in London next year.

Source: Guyana Times