European Union (EU) Ambassador Robert Kopecky and Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment Robert Persaud have met to discuss issues relating to a common position of the Guyana Government and the European Union, for the upcoming UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD or Rio+20).
According to a joint press release, both parties discovered that generally there are mutual priorities in line with ongoing initiatives. In Guyana’s context, this includes the Low Carbon Development Strategy and other similar initiatives which promote a sustainable development thrust.
The two main themes of the conference are the Green Economy in the context of Sustainable Development and Poverty Eradication; and the Institutional Framework for Sustainable Development.
The EU reiterated that its objectives are to advance the global transition towards a green economy, thereby promoting environmental protection, contributing to poverty eradication and stimulating low carbon and resource-efficient growth; to work towards clear operational targets and concrete actions at national and international levels within agreed timeframes; and to advance the work on global and coherent post-2015 goals for sustainable development, also having regard to the review process of the Millennium Development Goals.
Both Guyana and the EU hope that the Rio+20 meeting agrees on a global agenda, which should apply equally to developed and developing countries.
The Rio+20 will be held in Brazil from June 20 to 22.
