[www.inewsguyana.com] –A delegation from Guyana led by Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment, Robert Persaud and accompanied by technical staff of the Guyana Forestry Commission and the Office of the President, conducted several high level visits in Norway this week.
The goal of the mission was to exchange strategic views regarding the existing partnership between Guyana and Norway, the global climate agenda and progress towards the Conference of Parties of the United National Framework Convention on Climate Change planned for Paris in December 2015.
According to a statement from the Natural Resources Ministry, among the main highlights of the Mission was a meeting with Norwegian Minister of Climate and Environment, Minister Tine Sundtoft. At this meeting Persaud expressed Guyana’s continued interest in ensuring that forests play an important role in the climate change solution, and the importance of REDD+ and climate financing to making those solutions possible.
During the mission, it was noted that among Guyana’s significant achievements have been the development of a credible and robust Monitoring Reporting and Verification System for REDD+, advancements of several projects under the LCDS, and concrete plans made for taking the next steps forward including in forest governance programmes such as EU Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade and the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative.
Among other high level meetings were those held with the Director of NORAD (the Norwegian Agency for Development), Director General Villa Kullid, and State Secretary within the Ministry of Climate and the Environment in Norway, Lars Andreas Lunde.
Technical discussions sessions were also held with officials of Norway’s International Climate and Forest Initiative.
Persaud during his two day visit met with officials of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) Secretariat and expressed Guyana’s commitment to advance the process recognising the importance that the Government of Guyana has placed on effective governance and transparency within the natural resources sector.
There were also several high level technical discussions on the second day at which the Minister presented updates on Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy and REDD+ programmes, the achievements and progress so far under the Guyana/Norway Cooperation on Climate and Forests, and the challenges and remaining activities in moving forward on Guyana’s strategic agenda on forests and development.
These sessions were attended by Norwegian Government, development agencies, and civil society and provided an opportunity for Minister Persaud and the delegation to interact with a broad range of leading civil society and environmental groups and address a range of matters pertaining to Guyana’s development focus, the LCDS and various projects under the LCDS.
