Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment, Robert Persaud has said that the creation of the ministry will bring about a level of harmonisation, cohesion and better coordination in the management and utilisation of Guyana’s resources to achieve maximum benefits not only for today, but also for future generations.
The Minister was speaking at a consultation on the draft Strategic Plan to guide the coordinated management of the agencies controlled by the ministry, a release from the Government Information Agency (GINA) said.
Minister Persaud explained that over the years there was a compartmentalised approach to the management of the natural resources and environment sectors. He noted that Guyana has a set of legal and institutional frameworks that date back to the 1800s. The legislative framework will be reviewed to determine where there are overlaps and where adjustments can be made to make it more relevant.
GINA said that the Minister also emphasised the need for better monitoring and compliance particularly since that is an area that has been lacking. He said that there is need for the regulatory agencies to ensure a level of compliance, enforcement and monitoring that meets national standards, satisfying the legislation and also ensures that Guyana meets the international benchmarks.
The draft Strategic Plan was developed by the ministry with assistance from the Strategic Environmental Advice (SEA) consultancy funded by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
According to GINA, some of the priorities outlined in the draft plan include effective institutional framework and legislation, holistic and integrated planning, sustainable resources use and monitoring and cross cutting issues.
Minister Persaud stated that the objective of the consultation was to have varying views from different perspectives of stakeholders to add value to the draft strategy to ensure that it truly represents the views and aspirations of Guyanese.
He expressed appreciation to UNDP for their assistance in the process of developing the strategic plan.
GINA said that Deputy Resident Representative of UNDP, Chisa Mikami recognised the work of the staff of the MNRE with the UNDP consultants which enabled the draft plan to be completed in half the planned time.
She observed that while the preparation of a plan can be time consuming and strenuous, it was important for organisations to have one because it is the means by which they can grow and be high performing, create their own future, provide a framework and a focus for improvement, optimise operational systems, provide guidance for day to day decisions, provide learning opportunities for leaders and a means for assessing progress.
She said that in this regard the draft plan provides the framework for consideration as the new ministry charts its future in terms of the programmes and services it offers while the views/ suggestions brought forward in the consultation will form the basis for determining the priority areas.
The agencies which are managed by the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment are the Guyana Forestry Commission, Guyana Geology and Mines Commission, Guyana Gold Board, Environmental Protection Agency, Guyana Wildlife Management Authority, National Park Commission, Protected Areas Commission and the Guyana Lands and Survey Commission.