Latest update April 19th, 2024 12:59 AM
Mar 21, 2015 News
– briefs Norway on protection systems, development projects
As a five-year, US$250M forest deal with Norway nears end, Guyana has signaled its interest in continuing similar programmes.
Top Government officials were in Norway this week for meetings on the way forward.
According to the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment, a delegation led by Minister Robert Persaud, and comprising technical staff of the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) and the Office of the President (OP), participated in several high-level visits in Norway this week.
“The goal of the mission was to exchange strategic views regarding the existing partnership between Guyana and Norway, the global climate agenda and progress towards the Conference of Parties of the United National Framework Convention on Climate Change (CoP 21), planned for Paris in December this year,” the Ministry explained yesterday.
Among the highlights of the mission was a meeting with Norwegian Minister of Climate and Environment, Minister Tine Sundtoft.
“At this meeting Minister Persaud expressed Guyana’s continued interest in ensuring that forests play an important role in the climate change solution, and the importance of REDD+ and climate financing to making those solutions possible.”
Other high level meetings were those held with the Director of NORAD (the Norwegian Agency for Development), Director General Villa Kullid, and State Secretary within the Ministry of Climate and the Environment in Norway, Lars Andreas Lunde.
Technical discussion sessions were also held with officials of Norway’s International Climate and Forest Initiative.
According to the Ministry, Persaud during his two-day visit also met with officials of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) Secretariat and expressed Guyana’s commitment to advance the process recognising the importance that the Government of Guyana has placed on effective governance and transparency within the natural resources sector.
“There were also several high level technical discussions on the second day at which Minister Persaud presented updates on Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy and REDD+ programmes, the achievements and progress so far under the Guyana/Norway Cooperation on Climate and Forests, and the challenges and remaining activities in moving forward on Guyana’s strategic agenda on forests and development.”
These sessions were attended by Norwegian Government, development agencies, and civil society, and provided an opportunity for Minister Persaud and the delegation to interact with a broad range of leading civil society and environmental groups, and address a range of matters pertaining to Guyana’s development focus, the LCDS and various projects under the LCDS.
“The mission concluded on a high note, with broad recognition that among Guyana’s significant achievements, have been the development of a credible and robust Monitoring Reporting and Verification System for REDD+, advancements of several projects under the LCDS, and concrete plans made for taking the next step forward, including in forest governance programmes such as EU Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade and the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative.”
Minister Persaud was accompanied by Pradeepa Bholanath – Head Planning and Development Division, Guyana Forestry Commission and Kapil Mohabir – Head, Project Management Office, and Office of the President.
In November 2009, Guyana and Norway signed a US$250M to preserve forests as part of a scheme to slow climate change.
Norway, which has led donor nations in slowing tropical deforestation with a budget of 3 billion Norwegian crowns ($530 million) a year, said it wanted to help Guyana maintain forests that cover 75 percent of its land.
“Saving the world’s remaining tropical forests is a crucial element in the battle against climate change,” Norwegian Environment Minister Erik Solheim said of a memorandum he signed in Guyana.
Under the programme, Guyana is supposed to implement measures to slow deforestation rates.
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