International Environmental Advisor, Erik Solheim, has congratulated Guyana on its efforts to maintain its pristine forest coverage, as well as advancing global climate adaptation and mitigation efforts, a Department of Public Information (DPI) release said on Wednesday.
The advisor on Monday visited several Amerindian communities and was moved to commend the country’s vast forested landscape and socioeconomic systems.
“No nation in the entire world has protected its rainforest as fantastic as Guyana. This greatness does not come by itself, it comes by hard work by the Government of Guyana and all the leaders here, most of them from indigenous groups,” he stated.
Before assuming the position of environmental advisor, Solheim served as Norway’s Minister of Climate and the Environment, and Minister of International Affairs. In November 2009, as International Affairs minister, he signed a groundbreaking Memorandum of Understanding with former President Bharrat Jagdeo.
According to the release, this agreement marked the first international partnership of its kind, with Norway pledging up to US$250 million by 2015 to support Guyana’s efforts to reduce deforestation. The funding represented a significant milestone for Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy.
It noted that since the signing of the agreement, Guyana has earned US$212.6 million dollars from the Kingdom of Norway. The revenues have been invested in renewable energy, protection against climate change, land titling for Amerindians and job creation initiatives and integrating information communications technology systems in the hinterland.
Fifteen years later, the former minister said he was impressed at the level of development that has transformed the country’s landscape, while simultaneously ensuring that forest preservation remains a key priority. He also lauded the government’s efforts to use the funds in a positive way while asserting that this is a shining success story that the rest of the world can learn from.
“…people cannot encroach upon the forest… There must be livelihoods. And the money has been used to make community centres where people can come together, discuss… there is water management, and there is a lot of ecotourism bringing in people who can bring some money and some jobs to this part of Guyana”, he said.
