His Excellency Dr Irfaan Ali said that the Caribbean region cannot ignore its national assets and must use them for the advancement of its people.
President Ali made the assertion on Thursday while delivering the keynote address of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) Fourth Meeting of the Regional Committee of the Latin America and Caribbean Region at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre.
The Head of State said that the funds earned from Caribbean nations utilising their natural resources should be used to finance mitigation and adaptation measures for climate change, which severely affects Small Island Developing States (SIDS).
The conference will conclude on Friday, August 5.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister, Brigadier (Ret’d), Mark Phillips lauded the vision of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) during the opening reception for its Fourth Regional Committee Meeting for the Latin America and Caribbean Region held at the Marriott Hotel on Wednesday.
He said that the Government recognises the significant contributions made by ISA to its members with the aim of transformational energy solutions through solar technologies.
“The Government of Guyana has benefited from the ISA’s support in the areas of technical cooperation and grant assistance. These projects include the Solar PV Demonstration Project at the Orealla Health Centre, and training and capacity-building sessions for Guyanese professionals in both the public and private sectors, in the area of solar technologies.”
The senior government official, who holds responsibility for the country’s energy sector, also noted that Guyana remains committed to developing a low-carbon economy with a transition to clean energy remaining a national priority. The Prime Minister also acknowledged the ISA’s work in solar energy development at the local level.
“As the Minister responsible for Energy, I am extremely heartened by the timeliness of ISA’s contributions in the area of solar energy development, for such assistance accords with Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) which promotes, among other things, the development of utility-scale solar PV farms, solar mini-grids and solar home systems as part of our country’s ongoing energy transformation.”
The three-day event, which will be held in collaboration between the Government of Guyana and the ISA, will provide an opportunity for ISA member states to review and align their strategic priorities and regional initiatives in solar power generation with the ISA’s goals.
Several other cabinet ministers and government officials and respective ministers from various Caribbean and Latin American countries were also at both of the events.
