UN Secretary-General António Guterres says Suriname gives ‘hope and inspiration to the world to save our rain forests

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres says Suriname gives “hope and inspiration to the world to save our rain forests.”

He made a comment on Saturday as he saw first-hand the commitment of the Surinamese people to protect their natural treasures and ancestral knowledge.

“Rainforests are a precious gift to humanity. That is why from here in Suriname, I want to send a message to the world: We must honor and preserve the gift of rainforests because this is not a gift that will keep on giving”, Guterres told reporters at a joint press conference with Suriname President Chan Santokhi at the end of his first day in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) member-country.

The UN chief also delivered a stark warning: “If we keep seeing the [current] scale of destruction across the world’s rainforests, we are not just biting the hand that feeds us – we are tearing it to shreds.”

Guterres stressed that rampant deforestation and worsening climate impacts are increasing forest fires and droughts.

“This is outrageous and shameful. It is global suicide in slow motion,” he said, adding that such destruction should be “a global wake-up call to save the lungs of our planet.”

Earlier on Saturday, the UN said the secretary-general visited the indigenous village of Pierre Kondre – Redi Doti.

The UN said the area is surrounded by 9,000 hectares of forest and is home to about 100 inhabitants.

The UN said the area is surrounded by 9,000 hectares of forest and is home to about 100 inhabitants.

After driving through the iron-rich countryside, characterized by its reddish soil, Guterres was received by the Captain Lloyd Read of the Kaliña peoples, along with the women and men of the community.

“The challenge [we face] to protect Mother Earth and the Amazon rainforest is not appreciated and poses threats to our lives,” Read lamented, adding that his people – through no fault of their own – are currently endangered due to the exploitation of natural resources and the consequences of climate change, such as large and sustained rainfall and flooding.

Read said mercury contamination – mainly caused by illegal extractive activities – is also threatening indigenous lives and livelihoods in the region.

“In the South, life is ruined by mercury,” he said. “There is no fish, no meat, and no clean water to drink. Even extremely high levels of this metal have been found in the hair of our natives.”

The secretary-general noted these concerns and asked Read for more details, promising to be the “spokesperson” of the community during his later meeting with government officials.

“This is a visit of solidarity with the Indigenous communities in Suriname and around the world,” Guterres said. “When we witness that we are still losing the battle of climate change, when you see biodiversity more and more threatened everywhere, when you see pollution around the world, it is very important to recognize that Indigenous communities are showing the wisdom, the resilience, and the will to be in peace with nature.”

The UN said Suriname might be the smallest and least populated country in South America, but it is also one of the greenest.

Considered a global leader in biodiversity conservation, with more than 90 percent of its land surface covered by native forests, the UN said the nation’s unrivaled natural resources more than makeup for its size.

Suriname is considered a carbon-negative country, as its rainforests absorb more emissions than the country emits.

“Around the world, we are seeing the failure of climate leadership and the proliferation of disastrous climate disruption,” he said. “To meet the goal of limiting temperature rise by 1.5 degrees, global emissions must decline by 45 percent by 2030.

“Yet, current national climate pledges would result in an increase in emissions of 14 percent by 2030,” Guterres warned.

Underlining that the big emissions emitters have a particular responsibility, he highlighted that Caribbean nations are “on the front lines of the climate crisis and have consistently shown steadfast leadership.

The secretary-general will be in Suriname until Sunday when he will attend the opening of the 43rd Regular Meeting of the CARICOM Conference of Heads of Government.