Guyana positioning itself as facilitator for global action on biodiversity – Pres Ali

…as GBA membership climbs to 140 ahead of 2nd conference

As Guyana gears up to host the second Global Biodiversity Alliance (GBA) conference next week, President Dr Irfaan Ali says that the focus will be on shifting the momentum from mere commitments to tangible action on protecting and preserving the world’s biodiversity resources.

Speaking on a special edition of the Starting Point podcast on Friday, the Head of State pointed out that getting international stakeholders together in a room is just part of the job. He noted that Guyana will be leading the charge to get stakeholders to buy into a model framework to advance the agenda of the alliance.
“This is really Guyana positioning itself to be a facilitator of a global action, of global thinking and a global formula. And that is the most difficult thing to do – to get all of these stakeholders to agree on one approach,” President Ali stated.
The Global Biodiversity Alliance – an initiative crafted by President Ali that seeks to accelerate international financing and technical expertise to conserve the world’s diminishing biodiversity resources – was launched back in July 2025 with 17 founding members, including Governments, communities, science and business all coming together to protect, restore and sustainably use biodiversity.
Since its launch, the membership has been climbing and has now reached 140 in just over one year.

Second conference
With the second conference coming up on October 30-31 in Georgetown, President Ali says some big names will also be joining the efforts to protect the world’s biodiversity resources.
“This has really been a partnership and alliance that has brought the world together. It has brought together all of the important stakeholders in the field of biodiversity, but more importantly, in the international discourse on climate, environment, biodiversity, sustainable development…”
“A number of countries [have already] signed on this biodiversity alliance, and we have India that will sign on. The UK (United Kingdom) has already signed on. The entire UN (United Nations) system is signed on… So, the Global Biodiversity Alliance, therefore, is designed to bring together thought leaders, researchers, scientists, policymakers, leaders, all together, environmentalists, economists, practitioners, and all involved in the ecosystem…to have this discourse move forward,” the Guyanese Leader posited.
Meanwhile, the Guyanese leader noted that over the past year, the Alliance, through its research partners, has done a lot of work behind the scenes that will help to shape the conversation around a collective framework on biodiversity preservation during the upcoming two-day of dialogue.
“You will see some of the work that has already been done by research institutions – our research partners. Those papers will be presented. We have been able to raise the level of activism. We have been able to set out a specific framework on biodiversity loss. We set out the science behind it, but also to start work on that economic and financial model that will support the science… We have global leaders who also will be here. And all of them will be presenting in different thematic areas: financing, valuation, research and development, the intricate link between biodiversity and the balance of the planet and all of these things,” the president stated.
Under the theme “Investing in Nature: Accelerating Biodiversity Finance for Sustainable Development”, the GBA conference 2026 will bring together political leaders, Governments, financial institutions, development partners, Private Sector actors, researchers, civil society, and communities.
Over the two days, the packed programme will provide a high-level platform for dialogue, partnership-building, exhibitions, and practical discussions aimed at mobilising finance, strengthening cooperation, and advancing scalable solutions for biodiversity conservation and sustainable development.
According to the Head of State, the focus will be on moving from global commitments to practical action.
“So, in this second Alliance meeting here in Guyana, we’re hoping that we can align ourselves on the global approach in all of these thematic areas and then have that approach integrated in the UN system, integrated in the COP system, and then move the agenda forward based on the integration of this framework,” they stated.
Currently, more than 60 per cent of the world’s biodiversity resources have been lost. Biodiversity loss weakens the ecosystems that provide food, clean water, livelihoods and resilience to climate change.
It was in recognition of this that the Global Biodiversity Alliance was launched with the aim of bringing solutions geared at protecting habitats, restoring damaged ecosystems, using resources sustainably and supporting the people who steward them.