GEORGETOWN, Guyana, Oct 31, CMC – President Irfaan Ali has challenged biodiversity-rich members of the Global Biodiversity Alliance (GBA) to develop at least one investment-ready project each before the alliance’s next meeting in 2027.
Ali outlined the challenge as one of three priorities for the alliance over the next 12 months, as the Second Global Biodiversity Alliance Conference and Financing Forum opened at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre in Guyana on Friday.
“I challenge all of the countries here, the biodiversity-rich countries, to work with the secretariat in developing projects that we can put out there to be financed…Let us challenge each of us to do one such project by the time we gather next year,” he said.
The other priorities are bringing together the world’s leading knowledge, science and innovation to develop new solutions; unlocking finance and investment for biodiversity; and demonstrating that protecting biodiversity can create jobs, attract investment and strengthen national economies.
Ali said Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy had mobilised more than US$500 million, initially through a partnership with Norway and subsequently through international carbon markets.
He added that more than 250 villages and communities were benefiting from over 3,000 projects covering livelihoods, infrastructure and services.
The president said the alliance must help address the significant shortfall in global biodiversity financing.
He pointed to figures reported by the presidency of the COP17 biodiversity conference in Armenia, which concluded on Friday, indicating that more than US$1.8 billion had been mobilised from governments, philanthropic organisations and investors.
That amount remains well below the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework’s target of at least US$200 billion in annual biodiversity financing. The framework identifies an overall annual financing gap of approximately US$700 billion.
Ali also urged private-sector representatives across GBA member countries to consider establishing a joint investment vehicle for what he described as “biodiversity resorts” in participating destinations.
The resorts would be marketed under a single brand, with common values, regulations and a shared platform.
“This is a massive private sector opportunity that we can explore together, bringing opportunity to the villages, the communities, and to our country at a different scale,” he said.
He further called on policymakers to agree on special tax and fiscal incentives for investments that protect biodiversity, proposing that these form part of a common agenda across the alliance.
Ali also encouraged members to use artificial intelligence and quantum technologies to monitor ecosystems and support scientific discovery.
CMC/ed/2026