AS the United Nations (UN) marks its 80th anniversary, Guyana’s President Dr. Irfaan Ali used his address to the General Assembly to issue a powerful call for the global community to confront the escalating crises facing both individual nations and the world at large.

Dr. Ali made a strong appeal for renewed global commitment to multilateralism, sustainable development goals (SDGs) and climate resilience.

Framing the UN as the “premier organisation for multilateralism,” President Ali said it was “difficult to imagine our world without the United Nations”, while calling for honest reflection on the state of global affairs as the UN marks its 80th anniversary.

“Conflicts are raging as geopolitical tensions intensify, food insecurity is worsening, displacement is growing, human rights are being ignored, and climate change is threatening lives and livelihoods,” he told world leaders.

He noted too that the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), once a roadmap for progress, are now under serious threat due to shrinking development and budget support.

President Ali emphasised that the survival of people, economies, and the planet depends on an urgent and people-centred approach to achieving the SDGs. This, he said, must prioritise ending poverty and hunger, protecting children, supporting persons with disabilities, and empowering youth.

“Peace, stability, and sustainable development cannot exist in isolation from the urgent need to address climate change, which poses an existential threat to the most vulnerable and to our shared future,” he declared.

Reaffirming Guyana’s commitment to climate action, President Ali highlighted the country’s Low Carbon Development Strategy 2030, its leadership under the REDD+ Environmental Excellence Standard, and its success in the carbon credit market. He underscored that economic growth and environmental responsibility can advance hand in hand, and that “nature has tangible value” which must be rewarded.

In addition to environmental leadership, the president stressed the urgent need for renewed financial commitment to development, including fulfilling Official Development Assistance pledges and addressing unsustainable debt burdens that limit progress in developing nations.

He also drew attention to Guyana’s role in hosting the inaugural Global Biodiversity Alliance Summit in July 2025, which convened over 140 countries and institutions. The resulting Georgetown Declaration called for biodiversity to be treated as a global public good, fully integrated into climate strategies and financial frameworks.

“Building on the global pledge to double protected areas by 2025 and achieve the ’30 by 30′ goal by 2030,” President Ali said, the summit underscored the importance of innovative financing tools such as biodiversity credits, green bonds, and debt-for-nature swaps.

Guyana, he added, is actively pursuing these avenues to generate sustainable income for forest communities and strengthen biodiversity protection.

A recent partnership with the Yale Center for Biodiversity and Global Change will see the development of a National Biodiversity Information System, enabling more effective, data-driven conservation planning.