Permanent Forum on People of African Descent: Guyana calls for stronger climate justice, global support at UN

Guyana reiterated its call for stronger international action on climate justice, equitable health governance, and greater representation of affected communities in global decision-making at the Fifth Session of the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent.

Delivering a statement at Panel 4, Minister within the Housing Ministry, Vanessa Benn, thanked organisers for including youth participation in the forum’s agenda and commended young experts for their contributions, describing them as key rights holders and agents of change.
Guyana aligned itself with the position of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), as presented by Youth Ambassador C. Parris-Campbell, and renewed its appeal for concrete support for countries and communities disproportionately affected by climate change. The statement noted that people of African descent contribute least to global emissions but face heightened vulnerability to its impacts.
The minister also raised concern over the treatment of migrants of African descent displaced by climate-related disasters, internal conflicts, and other crises, calling for more equitable approaches in international responses.
On global health governance, Guyana highlighted ongoing negotiations under the World Health Organization (WHO) on a Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing framework. The statement stressed that access to pathogen samples and genetic resources should be linked to meaningful and fair benefit-sharing arrangements, particularly for countries in the Global South.
Guyana further urged the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent to increase its engagement in climate negotiations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), stating that climate justice is a human right and that representation in such spaces is essential.
The country reaffirmed its commitment to advancing the social and economic empowerment of people of African descent, including African-Guyanese communities, through targeted policies aimed at long-term economic security and self-determination.
It also called for stronger international support to enable the Permanent Forum to fully implement the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action (DDPA), noting that sustained commitment is necessary for the Second International Decade for People of African Descent to achieve meaningful impact.