President Irfaan Ali yesterday signed an agreement with the European Union (EU) for the implementation of a $1.1 billion grant that aims to sustainably develop forest-dependent communities in Guyana.
The four-year grant will be implemented by the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Guianas. According to visiting Deputy Secretary-General of the European External Action Service, Helena König, the main objective of the grant is to maintain healthy forests and natural resources in Guyana by strengthening institutional capacity for effective forest monitoring, and developing livelihood opportunities for local communities.
Suriname is also a recipient of a similar grant with the same objective.
König is reputedly the highest ranking EU official to have ever visited Guyana.
During brief remarks, König commended Guy-ana for its effort to maintain a low deforestation rate but noted that the EU has acknowledged that the country’s booming economy could potentially disrupt traditional livelihoods as well as intensify pressure on forests, rivers and oceanic ecosystems.
She added that despite Guyana’s immense natural resources wealth, not everyone is able to generate sufficient income particularly remote and small communities where few job opportunities exists. This, she says, may push communities towards unsustainable exploitation of natural resources which can potentially lead to severe consequences for forest biodiversity and ecosystem services.
“The EU has made sustainable forest management the one and only focus in bilateral cooperation with Guyana. Fully in line with Guyana’s own Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS), we aim to support Guyana’s ambition to preserve and enhance the sustainable development role of forests as a key asset,” she said.
According to König, the EU aims to increase the resilience of local communities and ensure that they have sustainable income generation. She emphasized the importance of working with local communities to create a sustainable environment.
During his remarks, President Ali stated that he is pleased by the continuing interest and support of the EU in not only Guyana’s development but the region’s as well and expressed confidence that the project will be successful.
He noted that over the years Guyana has been able to create a very delicate balance in the development and enhancement of forest communities when it comes to sustainable forest management. He said that the low deforestation rate was not an accident but by a deliberate policy and a strong understanding of the forest – which provides a global service to the world.
Ali stated that he expects that the implementing bodies will execute projects under the grant in a sustainable and socially responsible manner and that they are carried out in close coordination with national institutions and local partners including the National Toshaos Council to ensure that benefits are maximized.
A release on March 13th from the EU delegation here said that bilateral political matters, trade relations, cooperation in multilateral fora and preparations for the EU-CELAC summit in July are topics to be discussed during König’s visit. She will be here until tomorrow.
Aside from meeting with the President and Cabinet members, König will also meet with civil society and will visit one of the projects being executed under the EU-funded Spotlight Initiative against gender-based violence. König who has a background in trade will also meet with members of the private sector and business community with the aim of fast-tracking the establishment of a full-fledged EU/Guyana Chamber of Commerce.
König’s visit is the continuation of a tour to Barbados and St Vincent and will culminate with a trip to Suriname.
