Now that Guyana has launched the Global Biodiversity Alliance (GBA), a group of 15 stakeholders lobbying for financing to save the planet’s plants, animals and ecosystems, it is now pushing to bring more allies on board. The mission entails bringing at least 140 signatories on board by the end of the UN Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC COP 30) which will convene in November 2025 in Belém, Brazil.
Formalised on July 23 in Georgetown, Guyana, the GBA represents a group of regional Heads of State, renowned scientists, international institutions, and indigenous groups with a repository of secret knowledge about the healing powers of our animals and rainforests. Together, they hope to lead a turning point for saving the planet’s biodiversity.
Speaking at the opening of the GBA summit on July 23, President Irfaan Ali acknowledged that the movement needs more partners to spread its message and to ensure success. In so doing, it will use the platform of COP30 as a hunting ground to have at least 140 countries and organisations, including NGOs and the private sector, sign on to the GBA agreement. This entails achieving the 30 by 30 biodiversity goal, which is protecting 30% of the world’s land and sea by 2030 mainstreaming biodiversity into national and corporate planning.
The agreement also entails unlocking innovative financing streams such as green bonds, biodiversity credits and debt-for-nature swaps.
A key aspect of the GBA’s work will also entail empowering indigenous peoples and local communities through finance and recognition. There will also be a collective effort to build a robust monitoring and accountability system.
The new partners for the agreement would also have to agree to work with the founding partners on raising awareness about the importance of halting biodiversity loss while showcasing the work of the group on the global stage.
Guyana is currently the GBA’s Chair. It has committed to a technical Secretariat, and Conservation International, a 38-year-old non-profit organization that empowers societies to care for nature, will help Guyana host the work of that Secretariat.
