International leaders praised Guyana's leadership in global biodiversity conservation at the 2026 Global Biodiversity Alliance (GBA) Conference, calling the country's approach a working model for turning political promises into funded conservation results.
Speaking at the conference, held under the theme Investing in Nature: Accelerating Biodiversity Finance for Sustainable Development, representatives of the United Nations, the World Bank and the Campaign for Nature recognised President Irfaan Ali's role in founding the GBA and advancing the global 30 by 30 conservation agenda, according to Guyana Times.
Feingold: Guyana offers a blueprint for success
Senator Russ Feingold, honorary ambassador of the Campaign for Nature, paid direct tribute to President Ali for creating the Alliance and for his advocacy at the United Nations General Assembly, where Ali served as the lead head of state for the Secretary General's 30 by 30 programme.
“I want to pay tribute to President Ali, who founded this,” Feingold said. “His role at the United Nations General Assembly as the lead head of state for the Secretary General's programme on 30 by 30 was masterful.”
Feingold described Guyana's progress as proof that leadership, partnership and sustained commitment can deliver results, and he singled out the plan to protect 1.5 million hectares of rainforest in the Acarai-Rupunini Corridor as part of the country's pledge to conserve 30 per cent of its territory by 2030.
“The progress being showcased here today gives us a blueprint for how success is possible,” he said.
UN pledges support as 2026 becomes the implementation year
Katy Thompson, the UN's Acting Resident Coordinator in Guyana, reaffirmed the organisation's backing for Guyana's environmental agenda and noted the close alignment between national priorities and the global biodiversity framework.
“We are very proud as a group to be an ally in the collective effort of the global biodiversity alliance,” she said.
Thompson called 2026 the decisive year for moving from commitments to measurable results, following the first global review of progress under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework at COP17 in Armenia. Guyana is also participating in the UNDP's BioFin programme this year alongside 133 other countries, an exercise designed to map biodiversity spending, identify financing gaps and develop national resource-mobilisation solutions.
World Bank: action matters more than words
Valerie Hickey, the World Bank Group's Director of Environment, framed the GBA as a coalition built to move beyond declarations and into implementation, insisting that conservation must improve the livelihoods of the families living in the landscapes being protected.
“Words matter, but action matters more,” Hickey said.
She disclosed that the World Bank Group invested US$8.8 billion in nature finance last year, with a significant share directed at mobilising private capital. Growing international interest in blue bonds and biodiversity bonds, she argued, shows capital markets can finance nature at scale.
The investment test: policy certainty and small business
For a liberal economy such as Guyana's, Hickey's remarks carried the sharpest message. Attracting conservation finance, she said, requires predictable policies, clear regulations and secure land-use arrangements, including community land tenure and concessions.
She also addressed President Ali's call for an investment vehicle capable of delivering project-ready financing, warning that such a mechanism only works if it is fed by a strong pipeline of viable projects.
“And that means working with the 70 per cent of businesses around the world that are micro and small businesses,” Hickey said, stressing practical fixes such as credit histories and payment systems that let local enterprises benefit financially from conservation.
Regional recognition
Guyana's biodiversity leadership is also drawing praise from within Latin America. Former Colombian President Iván Duque Márquez, who co-founded the GBA with President Ali, has described Guyana as a model for Amazon countries and said the country could launch its own biodiversity taxonomy internationally by 2027 or early 2028, according to EIN Presswire.
For a small economy positioning itself as a hub for green investment, that kind of recognition matters. The GBA, launched at the 2025 summit, has now entered its implementation phase, and the 2026 conference focused on mobilising public and private financing and on converting global commitments into measurable outcomes.
The challenge ahead is straightforward: keep policy predictable, keep regulation clear, and let private capital, domestic and foreign, do what public speeches cannot.
FAQ
What is the Global Biodiversity Alliance?
It is an international coalition founded by President Irfaan Ali, alongside figures including former Colombian president Iván Duque Márquez, to translate global biodiversity commitments into funded conservation projects.
What is the 30 by 30 target?
It is a global commitment to protect 30 per cent of the planet's land and oceans by 2030. Guyana has pledged to conserve 30 per cent of its own territory by that date, including 1.5 million hectares in the Acarai-Rupunini Corridor.
How much is the World Bank investing in nature?
Valerie Hickey said the World Bank Group invested US$8.8 billion in nature finance last year, with much of it aimed at mobilising private capital through instruments such as blue bonds and biodiversity bonds.