President David Granger and First Lady, Mrs Sandra Granger, last evening, attended a reception hosted by the British High Commissioner to Guyana, Mr Greg Quinn, in honour of Prince Henry of Wales, familiarly known as Prince Harry.
The Prince is currently on a Royal Tour of the Caribbean on the behalf of Her Majesty, Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom.
Over the past two weeks, the Prince has visited Antigua and Barbuda, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Lucia and Barbados. Prince Henry, upon his arrival in Guyana on Friday afternoon, met with President David Granger, Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo and other members of the Cabinet at the Ministry of the Presidency.
The Prince is today scheduled to visit the Iwokrama International Centre for Rainforest Conservation and Development, of which, his father, HRH Charles, Prince of Wales, the Duke of Cornwall is patron.
President Granger explained to Prince Harry on Friday at the Ministry of the Presidency that Iwokrama is considered Guyana’s ‘green heart’ and is at the centre of the country’s policy to establish a green state.
He informed the Prince that 85 per cent of Guyana’s land mass is covered by forests and said the country is positioning itself to take full advantage of this asset in terms of earning carbon credits, boosting its eco-tourism product and overall environmental management. “We are completely committed to combating climate change. We are completely committed to preserving our biodiversity, which is one of the riches in the world. Years ago when Prince Charles accepted patronage of Iwokrama, it led to a lot of prestige for our thrust,” President Granger said.
Prince Henry said that he was impressed at how passionate the Government and people of Guyana are with regard to conservation. He noted that Guyana’s commitment to conservation and environmental protection shows that it is prepared to lead by example.
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