2022 Speech - Guyana
| Session Number | 77 |
|---|---|
| Year | 2022 |
| Country | Guyana |
| Country Code | GUY |
| Speech |
I extend my heartfelt congratulations to the President of the General Assembly on his election. I am confident that his stewardship will lend further credence to the impactful role of multilateralism in resolving global challenges.
I thank his predecessor, Mr. Abdullah Shahid, for his shrewd leadership over the past year. I had the distinct privilege of welcoming him recently to Guyana and benefiting from his experience in championing an inclusive future for our young people. I extend congratulations to him, the Secretary-General and the General Assembly for the recently adopted resolution on the establishment of the United Nations Youth Office (resolution 76/306). One month ago, in Guyana, I launched the Youth Advisory Council as part of my Government’s commitment to ensuring the involvement of young people in decision-making and development as the Government works towards building Guyana’s future. We live in a troubled world that has lost its balance. Indeed, our collective actions as leaders today will convey to the next generation that their aspirations and their future and that of the planet are worth fighting for. The international community faces a series of interlocking challenges — a global pandemic, climate challenges, energy and food crises and inter-State conflicts. As a consequence of the pandemic, approximately 97 million more persons are living on less than $1.90 per day, thereby significantly increasing the global poverty rate and inequalities. The developing world lost revenues and income that were earmarked for achievement of many Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), pushing us farther away from our 2030 targets. A United Nations report issued in March 2022 spoke definitively about the unequal distribution of coronavirus disease vaccines and its impact on widening economic disparity between the rich and the poor. The study found that low-income countries could have increased their gross domestic product by $16.7 billion dollars in 2021 if they had had a vaccination rate similar to that of high-income developed countries. How will we address that inequality? How will we address that injustice? Guyana’s position is that there must be an immediate re-examination of the financing gap and debt portfolio of developing countries to open fiscal space and create an opportunity for recovery, bridging the gap and attaining the SDGs. Guyana welcomes the global initiatives on pandemic preparedness. It is imperative that we collectively discuss how to address any potential pandemic and health threats so that we are better equipped in the future to avoid the inequalities that exist. The global food security problem has disproportionately affected us. The prevalence of moderate and severe food insecurity has trended upwards since 2014, with an estimated increase in 2020 equalling that of the previous five years combined. In 2020, 2.37 billion of the world’s population was food- insecure. In addition, the World Food Programme and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) warned that acute food insecurity would worsen in 20 hunger hotspots from June to September 2022. Since the start of the pandemic, global food prices have surged by 65 per cent and are expected to remain high over the medium term as a result of supply chain constraints, a hike in energy costs, higher shipping costs, climate issues, the war in Ukraine and the fertilizer crisis. Also, following the onset of the Russia-Ukraine war, global food prices increased sharply — to reach an all-time high in February 2022. FAO projects that the production of cereals — a crop heavily relied on throughout the world — will decline by 40 million tons, or 1.4 per cent in 2022 as compared to 2021. The trajectory of the global food import bill is a whopping $1.8 trillion this year, a record high. The global food import bill is projected to rise by $51 billion from 2021, $49 billion of which reflects higher prices. The question is what we are going to do about it. Can the reversal of export bans on rice and wheat and the freeing up of grains help that situation? The answer is a resounding yes. For example, export bans on rice from India and wheat from Russia contributed to a price increase of 12.3 per cent and 9 per cent for rice and wheat, respectively. The President returned to the Chair. As world leaders, we must find the balance now. In honouring our commitment to promote peace, stability, respect for territorial integrity and democracy and the human rights of all, we must work collectively to prevent situations that can widen inequality and create social and economic havoc. Now is the time for us to decide if a new approach is needed to guarantee food security, energy security, climate security, access to health care and quality education, and security from conflict and wars. According to the World Bank and Global Trade Alert, between January and June 2022, 135 policy measures were announced or implemented that affected the trade in food and fertilizer. During the same period, 34 nations imposed restrictive export measures on food and fertilizers. The question, therefore, is whether globalization is applicable only under normal conditions or whether it is opportunistic in its application. When a crisis arises, do we lock ourselves in and forget about multilateralism and globalization? The evidence is glaring, first with regard to COVID-19 vaccines and more recently with respect to access to food and fertilizer. A welcome initiative is FAO’s Global Food Import Financing Facility, which seeks to respond to the prevailing soaring food import costs and address the needs of those most exposed. However, there is a need to revise the eligibility criteria to accommodate countries beyond the categories of low-income and lower-middle-income groups. Those narrow groupings heighten the chance that many at-risk, economically vulnerable countries, including those in the Caribbean with large food and food-import needs, will be excluded. We all recognize that there is climate crisis. We must review some of the decisions made. For example, at the twenty-sixth Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP26), we agreed that there would be no more coal-fired power projects. What is the reality? While policies and planning for climate change adaptation are expanding, financing and implementation are still far behind where they should be, according to the United Nations Environment Programme’s Adaptation Gap Report 2021: The Gathering Storm. That analysis shows that the costs of adaptation are most likely to be higher than the predicted range of $140-300 billion annually by 2030 and $280-500 billion annually by 2050 for developing nations. In 2019, $79.6 billion was allocated to developing nations for planning and carrying out mitigation and adaptation measures. The gap between predicted adaptation costs and existing public adaptation finance flows is generally growing and ranges from a fivefold to a tenfold shortfall. The paltry $100 billion pledge and the failure to meet it must be viewed in the context of the likely costs of climate action for mitigation, adaptation and addressing loss and damage. It is not enough. The adoption in Glasgow of broad rules on carbon markets has the potential to unlock critical resources for forest-rich countries. Forested countries such as Guyana can potentially earn billions of dollars through voluntary carbon markets. However, the current approximate price is $10 per ton on the voluntary market, while according to an International Monetary Fund report the price should be closer to $70 per ton. At the twenty-seventh Conference of the Parties, we must make progress in refining the rules for the implementation of article 6 of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and make decisions that will increase the price of carbon traded in voluntary carbon markets. The world is also faced with an energy crisis. In 2019, almost 10 per cent of the world’s population did not have access to electricity. The volume of electricity generated by fossil fuels increased by 178 per cent between 2000 and 2021 — in particular, the volume of electricity generated by coal increased by 173 per cent between 2000 and 2021. Based on a recent energy outlook report issued by the United States Energy Information Administration, coal-fired generation is expected to be a key energy component as a result of several factors, including a drop in the share of natural gas and rising oil prices. While all of that is occurring, the global energy demand is projected to increase by 47 per cent in the next 30 years. According to the International Energy Agency, global electricity demand grew by 6 per cent in 2021 and is projected to grow by 2.4 per cent in 2022 — only 50 per cent of which is expected to be met from renewable energy sources. As such, the other 50 per cent will have to be met from non-renewable energy sources. Also, analysis by the International Energy Agency indicates that getting on the path to net-zero emissions by 2050 would require a threefold increase in the current level of investments in the clean energy transition to reach approximately $4 trillion by 2030. The question, therefore, is how we realistically strike that balance. The conversation must be practical, comprehensive and fact-based. We all recognize that adjustments must be made to save our planet. But how will we craft that adjustment, considering that our energy and food crises are also critical, and how will we ensure that inequality and lack of access do not worsen? In this energy transition, fossil fuels are still necessary. In that context, we believe that new entrants like Guyana must be part of that balanced approach. Even as a new entrant, at COP26 Guyana proposed ending subsidies for fossil-fuel production and advocated the need for a strong global carbon price. However, we do not believe that new entrants should be punished by removing access to financing and increasing financing costs. In effect, that will only protect an existing monopoly, drive up the costs of investment and deliver a higher- priced product. We are committed to building a Guyana that addresses the issues of food security, climate change, energy security and inequalities within our country and the region. Under the banner of One Guyana, my Government has embarked on many initiatives to help bridge the gaps of inequality and access. We are on a path to reducing Guyana’s food import bill and increasing food security through expanded cultivation and investments in new technology and climate-smart agriculture, all aimed at positioning Guyana as a leading food producer in the Caribbean Community. We are working to provide incentives, capital, land and opportunities for young people and women to participate in our agricultural transformation. To that end, we have earmarked 35 per cent of all new agribusinesses to be led by women, and we have increased youth participation in agriculture with the use of technology by more than 40 per cent. We are pursuing a low-carbon development strategy, aimed at creating a model for value ecosystem services and sustainably developing and managing the blue economy, investing in clean energy and stimulating low-carbon growth, protecting against climate change and biodiversity loss and aligning with global climate and biodiversity goals. Our forests, whose area is equivalent to the size of England, store 19.5 gigatons of carbon with a deforestation rate of less than 0.05 per cent. We intend to continue the sustainable management of our forests as a key national and global good. Having already achieved net zero in emissions, we are working steadfastly in our transition from a 2020 status of 95 per cent dependence on heavy fuel oil and diesel to an energy mix that includes hydropower, solar, wind and natural gas, from which more than 500 megawatts of new generating capacity will come on stream. Of that generated energy, 87 per cent will be from clean and renewable sources. Human resource transformation through education is a key driver of our development. The achievement of inclusive and equitable quality education and the promotion of lifelong learning opportunities for all are inextricably linked to attaining our Sustainable Development Goals, including full employment, poverty eradication and gender equality. Access to free, quality primary and secondary education will soon be followed by free tertiary education. The Government of Guyana has invested in our indigenous communities through infrastructure, education, training, health care and the installation of Internet access capabilities. We have also begun training our workforce for 2030 and beyond. Soon we will be offering coding skills at both the primary and secondary school levels. Gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls in all areas of life are national priorities. We are committed to ensuring equal access to education for girls and boys. Indeed, more girls are attending school in Guyana and graduating from university, and our focus now includes ensuring that our boys are not left behind. We have initiated several programmes to create earning and employment opportunities for women and to promote their financial independence, recognizing that their empowerment is inextricably linked to addressing the root causes of discrimination and gender-based violence and eradicating them. To achieve balanced growth and sustainable and resilient development for Guyana, our strategies must focus on developing a diversified economic base, strengthening our agricultural and food production systems, transforming our human resources, investing in the social sector to deliver world class health, education and housing for all our people, ensuring an inclusive and equitable society in which prosperity is enjoyed by all, and building our future through the strengthening of our democratic values and respect for the rule of law. As part of the global family, Guyana subscribes to the rules-based international order and to the need for a resurgence of political will and commitment to protecting the multilateral architecture. We are deeply concerned about the number of persons living in conflict situations. The ongoing war in Ukraine is having terrible effects on that country and region, with the impact disproportionately felt by women and children. We urge for a speedy and peaceful resolution of the conflict and express support for the efforts of the Secretary-General in that regard. In our own region, we again join an overwhelming majority of members of the international community in reiterating Guyana’s rejection of the sanctions imposed on Cuba. Guyana also affirms its solidarity with the Palestinian people and its support for their dignified existence in their own homeland in accordance with a two-State solution. Guyana does not condone or support the threat or use of force in relations between States or in the resolution of disputes. Consistent with the Charter of the United Nations, we subscribe to the use of peaceful means to settle disputes. In that context, we thank those who have expressed support for our candidacy for non-permanent membership in the Security Council. With regard to the challenge and threat posed to Guyana’s sovereignty and territorial integrity by Venezuela, we remain — in the words of the Secretary- General at the opening of the general debate yesterday (see A/77/PV.4) — “committed to making the most of every diplomatic tool available to us for the pacific settlement of disputes”, as set out in the Charter. In our case, that tool is a judicial settlement, as determined by the Secretary-General himself. The world’s nations can rest assured that Guyana will remain true to those peaceful processes and deny any effort to depart from them. The International Court of Justice has already affirmed its jurisdiction on the matter. The Assembly must reinvigorate the spirit of multilateralism in finding solutions to the challenges that continue to bedevil the global community of States. I would like to conclude by reminding us all of the old saying that “A hungry man is an angry man”. Global inequality is linked to global insecurity, and global security is linked to the prosperity of all humankind. |