Dear Editor,
Guyana’s Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo delivered the keynote (inaugural) address at the 25th annual World Sustainable Development Summit in Delhi on Feb 25 to a packed hall. Dr. Jagdeo was also a special guest at the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Summit also held in Delhi a few days earlier.
Dr Jagdeo spoke of the efforts of the Guyana government on sustainable development and preserving the forests. His speech was interrupted with loud applauses. He was honored by the organizers for his work on sustainable development.
The WSDS is the annual flagship multistakeholder convening organized by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) based in Delhi. This writer was also an invitee. The Silver Jubilee edition of the World Sustainable Development Summit (WSDS) 2026, the annual flagship platform of The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), was held at the luxurious Taj Palace, bringing together global leaders, policymakers, industry captains, researchers, and civil society to advance the agenda of transformative climate and development action. The theme was: Transformations: Vision, Voices and Values for Sustainable Development. The WSDS the only independently convened international platform on sustainable development and the 25th edition marks a significant milestone in any climate related NGO focusing on sustainable development (developing without destroying the environment). It is among a few independently convened bodies with an ongoing discourse on climate change and sustainable development in the global south.
The Summit was formally inaugurated by Shri Bhupender Yadav, Hon’ble Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change. He underscored India’s commitment to climate ambition anchored in equity, resilience, and sustainable growth.
The Chairman of TERI, Nitin Desai, told the gathering: “Our challenge is not awareness and talking. Our challenge is action. The whole transition of the World Sustainable Development Summit has been away from just talking about awareness, to better understanding of what needs to be done to promote sustainability. We have a very serious problem of actual implementation.”
Dr Jagdeo supported the call for action. Speaking on the work of the Guyana government on implementation of goals for sustainable development, Dr Jagdeo told the august gathering to thunderous applause: “When this Summit began twenty-five years ago, the focus was on raising awareness of climate and sustainability issues. Today, the challenge is no longer awareness, but resolute action and higher ambition to meet our goals. With major economies stepping back, achieving climate targets, especially in carbon pricing, multilateral regimes, and sectors like aviation and shipping, becomes far more difficult. Yet strong national leadership can drive progress.
In Guyana, our 2009 Low Carbon Development Strategy has proven that standing forests provide high-quality, cost-effective mitigation. We have sold forest carbon credits worth hundreds of millions into voluntary and compliance markets, even as we responsibly develop oil resources, showing that sustainability delivers real economic value”.
The LCDS was an initiative of Jagdeo when he was President (August 1999 to November 2011). The aim was to pursue development with while sustaining the environment, the forest. Jagdeo has been determined to safeguarding Guyana’s forest and maintaining the ecosystem (nature conservation and lowering carbon emissions) while fostering green livelihoods. When he was President, he was among a few leaders honored globally for work on climate action. He was named “Champion of the Earth” by the UN and he was the main speaker on Climate Change in Singapore in 2010.
Guyana is among a handful of countries that have achieved sustainability targets. And the government has been relatively successful at managing rising energy costs for consumers without destroying the forests.