UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell (left) presenting a certificate of recognition to Guyana as a champion of climate transparency
Guyana has been honoured as the only country in the Caribbean Community (Caricom) to be recognized as a champion of climate transparency. It has earned praise from the United Nations (UN) following the submission of its Biennial Transparency Report.
During the UN Climate Change Conference, UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell said Guyana is among nine countries to receive this honour. Those nine countries are Guyana, Andorra, Panama, Japan, Spain, Türkiye, Kazakhstan, the Netherlands and Singapore.
“The progress made this year alone has been remarkable. I want to recognize the frontrunners: Andorra, Guyana, Panama, Japan, Spain, Türkiye, Kazakhstan, the Netherlands and Singapore, who have already submitted their reports and set themselves apart as champions of transparency globally, setting a powerful example for other countries,” Stiell remarked on Tuesday.
“This is a stand-and-deliver COP(29). These countries are standing and delivering on this crucial commitment under the Paris Agreement. Each Biennial Transparency Report represents a milestone, capturing the strides made and charting the path ahead,” he declared.
According to Stiell, these reports are crucial for both governments and businesses to better inform their climate policies and actions. He noted that transparency goes beyond the submission of timely reports, important as this is. It is also about “learning and refining our strategies to achieve our goals.”
Further, Stiell explained that countries have until the end of the year to submit their biennial transparency reports. He noted that Guyana and the other eight countries who have already submitted theirs have set a standard and example for other countries to learn from and follow.
“Transparency is crucial, not only because it highlights progress in climate action, but because it spurs more action; enabling data-driven responses that build resilience and protect vulnerable populations by identifying risks and vulnerabilities, and leading to better resource allocation,” Stiell explained.
“Every submission, every lesson learned, brings us closer to the goals of the Paris Agreement. For all these reasons, I urge all Parties to submit their Biennial Transparency Reports on time, using the support available from the secretariat wherever needed. I urge Parties to engage fully in the review process and share what you’ve learned,” he added.
The UN Climate Change Conference is a component of the United Nations Conference of the Parties (COP29), which is being held in Baku, Azerbaijan from November 11-22. Among the developments surrounding the conference is Azerbaijan proposing a US$1 billion Climate Finance Action Fund (CFAF) to invest in climate action in the developing world.
It is envisioned that this fund would take financial contributions from fossil fuel-producing countries and companies and use the money to invest in projects in the developing world that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help build resilience to the impacts of extreme weather.
Every year, leaders from countries around the world head to COP to join the global dialogue on addressing climate change and its impacts, setting emission reduction targets, and developing international agreements on climate-related issues. The goal is to coordinate global efforts to mitigate climate change and adapt to its effects.
Last year, Guyana had used its platform at COP28 in Dubai to emphasize the stark reality that persisting with a doctrinarian approach would not lead to the achievement of net-zero goals. President Dr. Irfaan Ali had, in his address, highlighted the shifting landscape, and called out leaders for ignoring current realities in achieving net zero – which means cutting greenhouse gas emissions to as close to zero as possible, with any remaining emissions being re-absorbed from the atmosphere.
At this year’s COP29, it is expected that Guyana would continue to add its voice to global discussions on climate change mitigation and adaptation. However, Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo, in his capacity as General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), had recently expressed a lack of optimism that any major developments would come out of this year’s conference.
“I simply believe that not enough will be done. I am not very optimistic that there will be a major outcome,” Jagdeo, a Champion of the Earth awardee in 2010, had expressed. (G3)
