Guyana reaffirms climate, biodiversity leadership at COP30

Guyana reaffirmed its leadership in global climate and biodiversity action at the opening of the Conference of the Parties (COP30) negotiators’ session in Belém, Brazil, emphasising the country’s collaborative approach that integrates Indigenous leadership, biodiversity protection, and climate finance. On Monday, the Department of Environment and Climate Change within the Office of the President said that Guyana’s delegation is being led by Pradeepa Bholanath, the country’s Lead Negotiator for the United Nations (UN) Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and Chair of the National Toshaos’ Council (NTC) Derrick John and representative of Indigenous Peoples. Their joint participation underscores the partnership between the Government and Indigenous Peoples in advancing Guyana’s climate agenda at the global level. According to the department, at the Leaders’ Summit earlier this week, President Dr Irfaan Ali outlined Guyana’s three-point plan for global climate action, which includes making forests a permanent part of the global climate agenda and scaling up adaptation finance for the world’s most vulnerable states. At the negotiators’ session, Bholanath and John reaffirmed those priorities, highlighting that forests, biodiversity, and Indigenous stewardship are key elements of effective climate action. “Guyana’s story shows that climate success is possible when people, nature, and finance are brought together,” Bholanath said. “Our forests are a living example of how nature-based solutions deliver global benefits when they empower local communities.”

John added, “Indigenous Peoples have protected these forests for generations. At COP30, Guyana is showing the world that climate action can effectively include Indigenous rights and leadership, not as an afterthought, but as a foundation.”

Indigenous inclusion
Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS 2030) continues to serve as a global model for integrating sustainable growth, carbon markets, and social inclusion. Through the LCDS, Guyana has secured at least US$750 million in carbon credit agreements over the next decade.
More than 15 per cent of carbon-revenue proceeds are allocated directly to Indigenous and local communities through village-led investment plans focused on sustainable livelihoods, renewable energy, eco-tourism, and climate-resilient infrastructure. To date, over US$22 million (GY$4.7 billion) has been distributed to more than 200 villages. Guyana’s negotiators highlighted that this framework demonstrates how forest-rich developing countries can achieve measurable climate results while ensuring equitable benefit-sharing with Indigenous Peoples.

Global Biodiversity Alliance
At COP30, Guyana is also advancing the Global Biodiversity Alliance (GBA), which was launched in Georgetown in July 2025 and endorsed by the COP30 Presidency. The Alliance brings together states and institutions committed to integrating biodiversity protection into climate and development strategies. The Georgetown Declaration, adopted at the inaugural GBA Summit, recognises biodiversity as “fundamental to human wellbeing, climate stability, and resilience.” Through the Alliance, Guyana is promoting biodiversity credits and other financing mechanisms for conservation, as well as the establishment of a national Biodiversity Information System (NBIS) to monitor ecosystems by 2030. According to Bholanath, the GBA “extends the LCDS vision—uniting climate and biodiversity finance to sustain both people and planet.”
Guyana’s delegation, the Department of Environment and Climate Change, stated, continues to deliver a consistent message, climate action without nature protection is incomplete, and nature protection without Indigenous participation and fair financing is not credible. By linking forests, biodiversity, and Indigenous knowledge, Guyana is positioning itself and other developing countries as leaders in the global transition toward low-carbon, nature-positive growth.