President Bharrat Jagdeo has called for better integration of climate change issues into development planning processes.

Participating in a high level climate change dialogue hosted by the President of the World Bank in Turkey on Monday, he also urged increased support for small states with tight fiscal space and which also have to accommodate high levels of spending to adapt to climate change, the Government Information Agency (GINA) reported.

The dialogue event was held to coincide with the 2009 annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank group.

The  dialogue, held under a series of events titled the Bali Dialogue, brought together senior policymakers from around the world to discuss issues related to climate finance and the role of multilateral development banks.

Among these present were Yvo de Boer, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Secretariat, and representatives of all of the major regional development banks.

According to GINA, Jagdeo updated those present on Guyana’s low carbon development strategy, and of the country’s partnership with the Government of Norway.

The Bali Dialogue Series was held in the wake of a high-level event by senior policymakers on climate change in Bali on December 10 and 11, 2007, which concluded that it is important to integrate climate change issues into development planning and economic policies in a variety of future discussions at ministerial level. 

The World Bank subsequently launched an initiative, together with the UNFCCC COP Troika of Indonesia, Poland, and Denmark to further explore the development aspects of the Bali meeting and to provide leaders and policymakers on development and finance with an opportunity to discuss and address key issues of climate change mitigation and adaptation for low-income developing countries in an informal setting.

This effort will support, inform, and complement, without duplicating, the UNFCCC process as well as supplement discussions among policymakers on climate change. This will include those in connection with the COP meetings and within the G-8 and G-20 country groups with respect to low-income developing countries.

President Jagdeo was accompanied at the meeting by Minister of Finance Dr. Ashni Singh.