BELMOPAN, Belize (CMC)–Guyana’s President Dr Irfaan Ali on Monday said that Small Island Developing States (SIDS) must be afforded a seat at the global table where the impact of climate change is being discussed.

Addressing a joint sitting of the Belize Parliament as part of his three-day official visit to the Caribbean Community (Caricom) country, Ali said that climate change “represents the most immediate and existential challenge” facing SIDS, including Guyana and Belize.

“Rising sea levels, increasingly intense storms, prolong droughts and coastal erosion threaten lives, livelihoods and long term development,” Ali said, adding that for centuries low lying coastlines and climate sensitive economies have felt the impact and “demand sustained attention at the national, regional and global levels.

“Small states are neither passive nor powerless in the face of this challenge. While we are among those most exposed to the consequences of climate change we are also determined to be part of the solution. The solution is not a begging bowl for handouts or for charity, or for sympathy. The problem is real and we have real assets. So the solutions must be market based and we must let the world understand that what we possess, this natural asset is part of an ecosystem that supports life and livelihood on this earth and the valuation and value must come to our people,” he said.

Ali said while SIDS are among those most exposed to the consequences of climate change “we are also determined to be part of the solution”.

He said Belize and Guyana have consistently demonstrated leadership in this regard providing the world with critical ecosystems and environmental services including carbon sequestration, biodiversity conservation and climate regulations.

He reminded legislators that Guyana launched the Climate Biodiversity Alliance, adding “we live on a planet today where in the last 60 years we have lost more than 60 per cent of our biodiversity assets globally.

“Belize and Guyana have kept most fours intact. When biodiversity goes, eco systems go, medicine goes, pharmaceuticals goes, research and development goes, culture goes, indigenous knowledge goes because biodiversity supports all of those things,” Ali said.

He said forest rich and biodiversity endowed countries must place “appropriate values on these assets and manage them responsibly.

“In Guyana we have made it clear that our forests are worth more standing than being felled. Through our Low Carbon Development Strategy we have begun to translate this principle into action by monetising the value of forest conservation through jurisdictional carbon credit mechanism,” he said.

Ali said Guyana is also engaging in “innovative financing mechanisms to safeguard biodiversity and strengthen environmental resilience,” adding that food security is another pressing issue for SIDS.

He said globally, more than 700 million people face hunger, while billions experience “moderate or severe food insecurity”.

“Conflict, climate shocks, supply chain disruptions and economic volatility have combined to place unprecedented pressure on global food systems,” he said, adding that rising food prices are further compounding this pressure.

He said for Belize, Guyana and the wider Caribbean, “food security must mean ensuring that all our people have reliable access to affordable nutritious and adequate food as he praised the region for its “ambitious and achievable targets” to reduce its food import bill by 25 per cent.

He said achieving this target requires sustained investment in agriculture, the adaptation of modern technology, the expansion of climate resilience farming practices and greater emphasis on value added agro-processing among other issues.