GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC -Guyana Wednesday signed a five million Euro (One Euro=US$1.29 cents) agreement with the European Union to maintain its forest and natural resources and strengthen sustainable development, specifically in Amerindian communities.
President Dr. Irfaan Ali signed the grant agreement with the visiting Deputy Secretary General of the European Union Action Service, Helena Konig, following high-level discussions at the Conference of the Parties (COP) 27 in Egypt last November.
The implemented partners are the French Development Agency (Agence Française de Développement – AFD) and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Guianas.
With the funding, Amerindian communities here will create sustainable business ventures to reduce the pressure on their natural resources and preserve the forest and its biodiversity.
President Ali said the partnership is essential to addressing global challenges, noting that it matches his administration’s efforts to create a low-carbon economy and support sustainable livelihoods.
He told the signing ceremony that Guyana is working to be at the forefront of sustainable forest management, specifically using the forest to transform countries by creating a social, economic, and sustainable model.
“Guyana’s forest is not just standing trees but an important asset that provides global services, and in the provision of this global service, it is only fair that the forest earns for the country and its people who ensure that it stays intact, in support of those global services,” Ali said.
He said Guyana and the EU had been partners working together to advance the vision of enhancing the role of Guyana’s forest in sustainable and inclusive national development.
“I am glad that we are advancing the process to implementation so quickly after initialing the country’s agreement. This partnership with AFD and WWF is underpinned by focusing on what works, moving to create practical solutions and development challenges, and addressing the vital role of forests in overcoming these challenges.
“Sustainable livelihood sits at the heart of this endeavor as when we create the opportunities for people for economic advancement and social upliftment, we provide them with resources to make decisions to safeguard the environment and protect the forest,” President Ali added.
He said importantly, the program will ensure coherence, complementarity, and strengthening of regional government initiatives. For example, the carbon credit sales of which 15 percent will go to projects in Amerindian communities.
“Villages have already outlined their various sustainability plan, and we want to complement those plans, we want to augment those plans, and this is done with close alignment through the Low Carbon Development Strategy.”
Koniged welcomed the government’s efforts to maintain low deforestation rates and pledged the EU’s support.
“The European Union has made substantial and sustainable forest management the only focus in its new bilateral cooperation with Guyana, fully in line with Guyana’s own Low Carbon Development Strategy. We aim to support Guyana’s ambition to preserve and enhance the sustainable development role of forests as a key asset,” she said.
Konig said that the EU would continue to dialogue with government agencies and communities on the ground during the inception phase, enabling the development of economic activities that will benefit the communities.
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