The exclusion of the main opposition PNCR from the multi-stakeholder steering committee (MSSC) of the Low Carbon Development Strategy is “unsatisfactory,” according to a report on Norwegian development cooperation support to Guyana, which says a more solid bipartisan approach would be helpful.
The first report from the ongoing real-time evaluation of Norway’s International Climate and Forest Initiative (NICFI), through which Oslo supports Guyana in Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD) in a partnership worth potentially up to US$250 million by 2015, had noted that the PNCR is excluded from direct engagement in the MSSC and hence in debate outside parliament.
The Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD) has commissioned the real time evaluation to assess the initiative’s support to the formulation and implementation of national REDD strategies and other REDD readiness efforts. The progress made by Guyana has been acknowledged but several issues have been highlighted as needing attention as well.
“The current exclusion of the opposition PNC from direct engagement in the MSSC and hence in debate outside parliament on the LCDS is not helpful to long-term national interests. Measures to increase bipartisan understanding and agreement would be useful,” the report says. It pointed out that the LCDS is a national programme with a time-frame that extends beyond the political cycle and it would be useful to support measures which encourage a stronger bi-partisan approach, in order to minimise the politicisation of the LCDS and increase the chances that it would be maintained and advanced by future governments of any party.
“The lack of direct engagement by the PNC opposition party appears to be because of the PPP government assertion that the PNC could discuss any issues of concern in parliament. This is an unsatisfactory position which appears to go against the spirit of the MoU/JCN, which emphasises transparency and good governance as an integral part of the REDD package. From Norway’s perspective, it also increases the risks. Guyanese politics has been characterised by strongly divergent political views and a change of government could well impede progress at least in the short term,” the report says.
“Given the unfortunate political history of Guyana, through which the two main political parties are strongly polarised along ethnic lines, and the fact that many of the rural and urban poor are Afro-Guyanese, the exclusion of the PNC (a largely Afro-Guyanese party) from the MSSC and from active bi-partisan engagement in REDD related activities seems invidious and has potential for creating future problems,” the report observes.
It said there would seem to be merit in trying again to persuade the present government to engage in a bipartisan way with the main opposition party.
Better
cooperation
Meantime, the report says that the present approach to securing improved mining and forestry practices may need to be revisited to secure better cooperation and consideration is needed for benefit sharing to reward improved practices, especially by small operators. “The Special Land Use Committee [SLUC] on Mining and Forestry is an excellent idea but it appears to be too heavily dependent on government agencies and needs to engage actors from both sectors if it is to be effective,” the report says.
The SLUC has submitted a report to Cabinet but little has since been heard about this.
The report observed that the most significant drivers of deforestation and degradation in Guyana have been mining and forestry and the LCDS recognises the need for improved practices on forest use and in mining although it does not offer direct benefits in return. It noted that the most vocal opposition has come from the mining sector, and this sector has the potential to be quite disruptive for efforts to secure reduced emissions. At the same time, the sector is vital to the economy and to employment.
“The Special Land Use Committee on Mining and Forestry was set up to address conflicts between the two sectors, which are widespread. It is a good initiative but it is not clear that this committee is adequately engaged with those operating in the sector to have useful effect and this issue needs to be given attention if the aims are to be achieved,” the report recommends.
The report also noted that the refractory bauxite mining activities seem to pose little threat as they employ deep mining over a very limited area, but from what the evaluators learnt the metallurgical grade bauxite ore mining system “poses a more serious threat in terms of area affected. The changes that may be required to their practices are as yet unclear.”
The report says that in order for this Guyanese ‘national initiative’ to succeed, it is critical that the various groups in the country, with sometimes very divergent interests, have trust in the overall system to meet their most fundamental needs. “In other words, democratic forms must become institutionalised, such that the Guyanese people can trust the governance system to provide a means for addressing the conflicts that exist among the various stakeholders and interests in a constructive and appropriate way,” it says.
It pointed out though that after an at times somewhat stormy past, even in the recent past, Guyana has made progress in establishing practices of governance that may be built upon productively in the future and inspire confidence in the institutions of government and the system of governance as the appropriate arenas for airing and resolving conflicts. “Much remains to be done to build trust in the forms of governance among all members of Guyanese society, such as through building capacity for negotiation among groups with conflicting interests to achieve outcomes that may not be ideal for anyone but which represent the best alternative for everyone,” it says.
It also said that it should not be ignored that some groups stand to lose position or income with the advent of new practices under the LCDS, due to new restrictions or new enforcement of restrictions on their activities or due to the fact that they do not have as loud a ‘voice’ as some others. “Transparency in decision-making, with full representation of all stakeholder groups including potential ‘losers’ can help to achieve full acceptance, in that they may either be encouraged that their sacrifice will ultimately benefit them in some way through benefiting society as a whole, or be able to negotiate and offset their losses in some way. This representation and consideration of all interests can help to build trust in the institutions in which such decisions are made. This in turn will help to institutionalise democratic forms in Guyana and build cooperation among the various groups within the Guyanese ‘civitas’ that hold very divergent interests,” the report says.
