Former President Bharrat Jagdeo receives another Honorary Doctorate

Guyana’s former President, Bharrat Jagdeo, on February 1, received an honorary Doctorate of Philosophy from Dr. Rajendra Pachauri, Nobel Prize Laureate and the Chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and Chancellor of TERI University of India.

In a ceremony at the University’s New Delhi campus, Dr Pachauri highlighted the former president’s keen interest in climate and his outstanding work.
“There are very few Heads of Government in the world who understand the scientific, economic and social dimensions of climate change like President Jagdeo. His sense of the global injustice that climate change represents is combined with a very rare understanding of key issues, and a global vision of suitable solutions.

What he has achieved in Guyana proves that developing countries can lead the way towards developing and implementing climate solutions. Now that he is no longer President of his country, I hope that his vision and skills can be deployed to an even greater extent to help the world face up to the climate challenges we are confronted with. (Former) President Jagdeo as a global leader of rare distinction must remain in the vanguard of global actions for meeting the challenge of climate change.”
Dr Pachauri is the Chairman of the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change, and accepted the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize with former US Vice President, Al Gore. Dr Pachauri accepted the prize on behalf of the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change, established by the United Nations and consisting of most of the world’s governments.
Former President Jagdeo in accepting the award said: “I want to express my deep appreciation to Dr Pachauri and to TERI University for the honour they have granted me, but more importantly, for the work that they do. Climate change is a problem of existential proportions for large numbers of the world’s most vulnerable people. Progressive citizens, organisations and governments in every part of the world must keep up the pressure on those who try to stop us from taking the action we need to take to avert climate catastrophe. The work of Dr Pachauri and TERI University builds on the empirical evidence base we need to further that action. They are also helping to craft the building blocks of the new global economy – where we meet the challenge of a larger, richer global population through development that is environmentally sustainable, as well as economically and socially progressive.”