Guyana’s position on avoided deforestation was again highlighted when President Bharrat Jagdeo delivered the feature address at the Forest Carbon Finance Summit 2009: Making Forest Carbon Markets Work, on Capitol Hill, Washington DC on Friday.

The Government In-      formation Agency (GINA) reported that Jagdeo, in outlining Guyana’s approach to addressing the issue of deforestation and climate change underscored the work done by the Guyana Government with assistance from Mc Kinsey and Company, one of the world’s top consulting firms, that advises businesses, government agencies and institutions on a number of issues. No other details on this presentation were provided by GINA.

Friday’s event was sponsored by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and Harvard University’s Programme on International Financial Systems and Duke Univer-sity’s Nicholas Institute.

The forum brought together over 30 specialists and leading global experts in climate change and finance. Among the key topics discussed were:  REDD-iness: Exploring Infrastructure Needs & Legal and Institutional Frameworks and Ensuring Integrity in Forest Carbon Markets. Other members of Guyana’s delegation to the Summit included Adviser to the President and Chairman of the National Climate Committee Shyam Nokta and Adviser to the President Kevin Hogan.

On Thursday Jagdeo had addressed another forum ‘Forest, Finance, People and Climate Change: Inter-  national Perspectives for U.S Legislators’ where he spoke of the major role the US can play in the post-Kyoto Protocol.

That session was organized by World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and Union of Concerned Scientists under the sponsorship of Congress-man Jay Inslee of the U.S House of Representatives.