A “Forest Partnership Memorandum of Understanding” between President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the Government of Guyana will be signed tomorrow and will see a grant of Euro 5m ($1.045b) to this country.
A joint Guyana-European Union (EU) release today said that the MoU underlines the “genuine partnership between Guyana and the EU, focused on long-term sustainability” and is a reflection of the unwavering commitment of this country to protect its unique rainforest.
According to EU Ambassador to Guyana, Rene van Nes, Guyana is unique as it is one of the few countries that has a negative carbon footprint. He said that Guyana is an example for the world and the forest partnership is a recognition of the sustained efforts by the country in preserving its forests and ensuring timber harvesting is regulated.
According to President Irfaan Ali, Guyana remains committed to fighting climate change and developing sustainably. He said that Guyana’s development is structured in a Low Carbon Development Strategy, which will help the country to build a global model for forest climate services and other ecosystem services.
The MOU, which will be signed on the sidelines of the COP 27 in Egypt tomorrow, has four main objectives, the release said.
(1) Increasing the area of protected, restored or sustainably managed forests, including mangroves
(2) Increasing the number of forest-related jobs
(3) Maintaining the close-to-zero annual rate of deforestation of natural forests
(4) Looking for ways to facilitate investment and trade in legal and sustainable wood products between Guyana and the EU.
The release said that the forest partnership is a win-win for Guyana and the EU and with an initial EURO 5 Million grant from Brussels for activities, immediate results are expected in supporting Indigenous Peoples and local communities, helping small-scale producers, promoting sustainable trade in forest and agriculture commodities and enabling capacity to drive behaviour change.
Youth and women are expected to play a pivotal role in the planning and implementation of activities related to the partnership.
The release said that the Forest Partnership with the EU places Guyana “at the top of the world in terms of its protection of the rain forest. It is timely, and underscores the strong commitment in continuing the bold ambition and innovative programme on climate, environment and forests”.
