The Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago wishes to congratulate Professor John Agard on his appointment by United Nations Secretary General António Guterres as one of fifteen (15) eminent scientists from a wide range of disciplines, expertise and backgrounds to draft the 2023 Global Sustainable Development Report.
Professor Agard is the Director at the St Augustine Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (STACIE) and a Professor of Tropical Island Ecology, Department of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology, The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus. His areas of academic specilisation include Small Island Ecology and Resilience Building, Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation, and scenarios and pathways to human well-being and a sustainable future. He has served in numerous capacities at the local, regional and international levels, including Chairman of the Environmental Management Authority of Trinidad and Tobago from 1997-2000 and, currently as a Review Editor (Small Islands), Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Working Group II Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability 6th Assessment Report.
Professor Agard has a Ph.D. in Zoology from UWI, a Master of Science in Pollution and Environmental Control from the University of Manchester and Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry and Zoology from UWI.
The Government commends Professor Agard for this achievement and for his pursuit of the opportunity to contribute to the drafting of this significant Report which will inform the follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals. Professor Agard will serve as co-chair of an independent group of scientists whose Report will aim to strengthen the science-policy interface and serve as a strong evidence-based instrument to support policymakers in promoting poverty eradication and sustainable development. The Report will also provide guidance on the state of global sustainable development from a scientific perspective, address new and emerging issues and challenges and offer recommendations for action by governments and other actors.
