PRESIDENT Dr Irfaan Ali has announced that, driven by its Low-Carbon Development Strategy (LCDs) 2030, Guyana will spearhead a worldwide coalition aimed at securing funding to bolster the preservation of the Amazon Basin’s biodiversity. Dr Ali made the revelation on Wednesday at the opening ceremony of the Caribbean Investment Forum being held here at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, at Liliendaal, Georgetown.
“Guyana intends to take the leadership role on mobilising friends and countries with a rich biodiversity into a global coalition alliance on biodiversity, and to commence the work on creating [a] scalable model that would address forest and biodiversity together,” the President said. Earlier in the day, President Ali had engaged regional stakeholders at the 2024 Concordia Amazonas Summit also being held here. Dr. Ali conducted comprehensive discussions on Wednesday, emphasising the necessity of a collaborative approach to preserve the flora and fauna of the region. In 2009, Guyana became the first developing nation to introduce the LowCarbon Development Strategy (LCDS).
The strategy delineated a vision for the promotion of fair and sustainable development, while simultaneously safeguarding the nation’s forests, which constitute approximately 85 per cent of its total land area. In the same year, Norway and Guyana reached an agreement to collaborate on the development of a model advancement payment for forests. The President of the country at the time, Bharrat Jagdeo, along with Mr. Erik Solheim, the Minister of Environment and International Development of Norway, entered into an agreement which involved Norway providing financial compensation to Guyana for its forest-climate services.
Source: Guyana Chronicle