-President Ali advances talks with United Kingdom

In a landmark move to position Guyana as a global leader in biodiversity, President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali announced that Guyana will host a new Commonwealth Center of Excellence focused on biodiversity. The announcement followed high-level meetings on the President’s first day of engagements in the United Kingdom.

On Tuesday, the head of state met with His Majesty King Charles III at Buckingham Palace, where the two leaders discussed ongoing collaborations in the areas of environmental protection, biodiversity, and climate action.

President Ali described his meeting with King Charles as very productive, noting that the King remains an active promoter of Guyana’s climate and forestry initiatives. During the engagement, the King pledged his continued backing for Guyana’s environmental roadmap and the leaders discussed the creation of a market-based biodiversity model designed to attract global financing.

“He has lauded the work that we are doing, and we came up with the priorities in these areas that we will pursue. We are looking, as a country, to position Guyana as a major player in biodiversity and the entire ecosystem services. Biodiversity is integrally related to pharmaceuticals, indigenous culture, rights, language…so all of this enable us to position Guyana as a focal point,” the president said during a recap of the day’s activities.

Following the royal engagement, the president also met with the Commonwealth Secretary-General, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey. A key outcome is an agreement to collaborate on strategic initiatives to support the Global Biodiversity Alliance. A Joint Working Team will advance efforts to establish an International Biodiversity Centre of Excellence based in Guyana.

President Ali confirmed that the center will be operationalised quickly through partnerships with existing Guyanese institutions and integrated globally with other research and environmental centers. This initiative serves as a direct response to a world that has already lost sixty percent of its biodiversity.

The president further noted that these developments ensure sustainability and resilience are part of everyday life for Guyanese citizens and the global community alike.

“I think there are some exciting announcements, programmes and opportunities ahead of us,” he shared. “This is all part of building that resilient, sustainable economy that is diversified not only in traditional areas, but in new areas that are future-proof: environmental and ecological services, biodiversity services, etc. Just like we have massive interest and investment in AI and digitisation, the future will be about biodiversity, ecological services, forest services, climate services, and we are positioning Guyana ahead of that time.”