Bartica to benefit significantly
UNDP Programme Specialist, Dr. Patrick Chesney; Ms. Astrid Foo-Lynch of the Office of Climate Change; United Nations Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative, Ms. Mikiko Tanaka; Mayor of Bartica, Mr. Gifford Marshall; Head of the Office of Climate Change within the Ministry of the Presidency, Ms. Janelle Christian; Deputy Mayor of Bartica, Ms. Nageshwari Kamal Persaud and Japan-Caribbean Climate Change Partnership Project Manager Ms. Yoko Ebisawa at the launch in Bartica.
UNDP Programme Specialist, Dr. Patrick Chesney; Ms. Astrid Foo-Lynch of the Office of Climate Change; United Nations Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative, Ms. Mikiko Tanaka; Mayor of Bartica, Mr. Gifford Marshall; Head of the Office of Climate Change within the Ministry of the Presidency, Ms. Janelle Christian; Deputy Mayor of Bartica, Ms. Nageshwari Kamal Persaud and Japan-Caribbean Climate Change Partnership Project Manager Ms. Yoko Ebisawa at the launch in Bartica.

–from Japan-Caribbean climate change partnership

THE Ministry of the Presidency, through the Office of Climate Change, in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), last Thursday launched the Japan-Caribbean Climate Change Partnership (J-CCCP) in Bartica.

Japan-Caribbean Climate Change Partnership Project Manager, Ms. Yoko Ebisawa, and the UN’s Ms. Mikiko Tanaka pay keen attention during the launch

According to a release from the Ministry of the Presidency, the partnership will see the Three-Mile Secondary School benefitting from the installation of a 20Kwp grid connected Solar Photovoltaic (PV) system, energy-efficient lighting, as well as light-emitting diode (LED) street lighting.Funded by the Government of Japan to the tune of US$15M, the partnership supports countries in advancing the process of improving energy security planning for adaptation to climate change.

Speaking at the launch of the project at the office of the Mayor and Town Council, Head of the Office of Climate Change within the Ministry of the Presidency, Ms Janelle Christian said that the partnership comes at an opportune time, as it helps to advance the vision of President David Granger for Bartica to be developed as a model ‘green’ town.
“The J-CCCP project and the support that Guyana has been benefitting from, and continues to benefit from, is set within the framework of the ‘Green’ State Development Strategy (GSDS),” Christian said, adding:
“The pilot initiative that will be implemented in Bartica is a direct response to the President’s pronouncement on Bartica becoming the first model ‘green’ town.”
She noted, too, that the GSDS provides a framework for national development plans and policies for climate action, and that the implementation of the J-CCCP supports the government’s commitment to transitioning to the use of 100 per cent renewable energy in public institutions by 2025.

“These initiatives have to date, through budgetary support and also resources that we have been able to leverage through our development partners,already started taking effect. The Project here in Bartica is not unique to Bartica but it is part of that national programe where we would’ve already seen through the leadership of the Guyana Energy Agency (GEA) some schools being installed with photovoltaic system (PVs). “Further, under the Ministry of Communities, I believe as part of the initiative for all of the townships, there is and has been budgeted resources for installation of LED street lighting and we felt that those projects must align with those national plans with respect to our achievement and implementation of those commitments that we have made,” Christian said.
United Nations Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative, Mikiko Tanaka said that the launching of the partnership is in line with Guyana’s ‘green’ development trajectory. “The resources will undoubtedly contribute to enhancing Guyana’s and the other seven beneficiary countries’ ability to respond to climate risk and opportunities,” she said.
Tanaka pointed out that the Partnership is part of the global effort to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as it relates to the climate action. “The achievements from this project would ultimately support Guyana’s pursuit of evolving into a ‘green’ state, as it fosters a platform for collaborative efforts… the project allows for the adaptation and implementation of mitigation and adaptation technologies, which gives Guyana the flexibility to identify, develop and implement demonstrations pilot projects that seek to address significant climate related ramifications,” she said.

Head of the Office of Climate Change within the Ministry of the Presidency, Ms. Janelle Christian explaining the implementation of the Japan-Caribbean Climate Change Partnership

Meanwhile, Programme Specialist at the UNDP, Dr. Patrick Chesney said that the Partnership is an important response that emphasise partnership between a developed country and developing countries. “This is an ambitious response, and we must match that ambition with our energy,with our passion and with knowledge. Guyana is the second greenest country on this earth, so the move towards establishing a green state is simply putting in place the architecture, the mechanisms and ensuring that all we do is contribute to making and keeping Guyana green,” Mr. Chesney said.
Mayor of Bartica, Gifford Marshall praised the organisations for implementing the Partnership in Bartica, which he said demonstrates the Government’s interest in developing the township of Bartica.

“It is most importantly a visionary council that was elected by the people for the development of Bartica, we are committed to serve, we were elected to serve and that’s what we will do, and these projects of course will bring about major transformation to the township of Bartica,” Marshall said.

UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative, Ms. Mikiko Tanaka delivering remarks

The event was also attended by J-CCCP Project Manager, Yoko Ebisawa several representatives of the UNDP, Office of the Climate Change and regional officials.
The Partnership is part of a regional initiative that was officially launched in January 2016 and has been implemented in Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname and now Guyana.

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