Although Guyana is no longer a “least-developed country”, government officials are optimistic that it can benefit from some of the US$100b per annum that the US and others plan to mobilize by 2020 to help these countries counteract the impact of climate change.
This and other elements were part of a non-binding accord reached at the UN climate conference in Denmark. Bloomberg last evening quoted President Bharrat Jagdeo as saying he was withholding judgment on the agreement until the details emerge.
“So far from what we’ve seen there are some good elements enshrined in the document,” Jagdeo said in an interview.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told reporters on Thursday in Copenhagen, Denmark that “the United States is prepared to work with other countries toward a goal of jointly mobilizing $100 billion a year by 2020 to address the climate change needs of developing countries.”
During his address in the final crucial hours of the Copenhagen conference yesterday, US President Barack Obama reiterated the statements of Clinton and stressed that his country would only be willing to honour this pledge if certain circumstances prevailed internationally.
Obama emphasized that “all major economies must put forward decisive national actions that will reduce their emissions, and begin to turn the corner on climate change”. He also noted that there needs to be “a mechanism to review whether we are keeping our commitments, and to exchange this information in a transparent manner.”
The US President also stressed the need for financing that helps developing countries adapt, particularly the least developed and most vulnerable to climate change. He said that “we will engage in a global effort to mobilize $100 billion in financing by 2020, if-and only if-it is part of the broader accord”, which he had described.
While this announcement by the US is viewed as a significant boost to the fight to tackle climate change, local observers have questioned whether Guyana will benefit significantly from this pledge since Guyana is not classified any longer as a “Least Developed Country”.
According to the United Nations Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and the Small Island Developing States (UN-OHRLLS) there are 49 countries which fall under this category. Haiti is the only country in the Caribbean and Latin American region which has been so categorized. The other 48 countries consist of 33 countries from Africa and 15 from Asia.
Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh told Stabroek News yesterday that Guyana is still eligible for funding and that the nation could “still qualify”. According to the minister, determination of the “least developed territories is based on different criteria” and that Guyana could benefit depending on which criteria is used.
Meanwhile, Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud, one of the lead players in the country’s Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) indicated that he was optimistic that Guyana would qualify and said there was a thin line in the categorization. “Guyana is looking seriously at the funds”, he stressed.
