Guyana keen for start of EU-funded forest governance project
Permanent Secretary of the Natural Resources Ministry, Joslyn McKenzie (second from right) delivering brief remarks, in the presence of GFC Chair Jocelyn Dow (on the right) and (from left to right) FC Commissioner James Singh, Acting British High Commission Ron Rimmer and Head of Cooperation of the EU Delegation in Guyana Christof Stock
Permanent Secretary of the Natural Resources Ministry, Joslyn McKenzie (second from right) delivering brief remarks, in the presence of GFC Chair Jocelyn Dow (on the right) and (from left to right) FC Commissioner James Singh, Acting British High Commission Ron Rimmer and Head of Cooperation of the EU Delegation in Guyana Christof Stock

GUYANA highlighted the need to wrap up negotiations on the EU-FLEGT agreement when the regional seminar opened on Wednesday under the theme “Sharing Regional Lessons on FLEGT VPA processes: Transitioning from Negotiations to Implementation.”In March 2012, the Government had formally entered into the process of negotiating a Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) with the European Union (EU) under its Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Action Plan. That plan was established in response to the problem of illegal logging.

Since then a Guyanese National Technical Working Group (NTWG) has been spearheading consultations on the pending agreement. As such, the regional forum, which is being held at the Pegasus Hotel here in Guyana, seeks to promote the exchange of experience and lessons learned from countries that are in the implementation phase.

In delivering brief remarks during opening ceremony, Permanent Secretary of the Natural Resources Ministry, Joslyn McKenzie said the conclusion of the negotiation is critical to the advancement of the Forestry Sector. “In the 2017 work programme of the Ministry of Natural Resources, we see the conclusion of this negotiation as a very critical element towards the overall development of the sector,” Mckenzie.

As such, he said the Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman has tasked the Chair of the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) Board of Directors Jocelyn Dow, and the Forestry Commissioner James Singh “to do whatever it takes to facilitate” a successful conclusion of the negotiation.

Singh also underscored the importance of wrapping up the negotiation.
In making his case that Guyana stands ready to implement the FLEGT VPA, Singh pointed out in 2014 the country’s annual rate of deforestation and degradation was a mere 0.065%.

“As a heavily forested country, optimization of benefits of our natural resources sector is needed for national development. However, as an environmentally conscious nation we recognize that this must be in keeping with environment and social-economic best practices,” he posited.
Reiterating the country’s strong support for the EU-FLEGT Action Plan, the GFC Commissioner said the “imminent finalisation of the Guyana-EU-FLEGT VPA represents therefore is the step in the right direction.’

He said it is a fact that Guyana’s Forestry Sector is being governed by a robust system of forest legality and sustainable forestry management guidelines.

Pending the conclusion of the negotiation, Singh said the Commission welcomes the establishment of a local FLEGT Facilitation Support Office, which is providing much needed support.

The Acting British High Commissioner Ron Rimmer, in offering brief remarks, reinforced the UK’s commitment to the development of Guyana.

He said FLEGT VPA is critical to the process of governance, noting that it strengthens sustainable forestry management and promotes trade and eco-timber in both domestic and export markets .

The chair of the GFC and the Head of Cooperation at the European Union Delegation to Guyana and Suriname, Christof Stock, were among other officials present at the opening. However, participants and speakers hailed from Government, Civil Society, the Private Sector, Non-Governmental Organisations and Academia from Guyana, Suriname, Honduras, Guatemala, Indonesia, Liberia, Ghana, and the United Kingdom.

The Georgetown FLEGT seminar is the second such event held in Guyana and was organized by the National Technical Working Group and the FLEGT Facilitation Support Office (Guyana) in collaboration with GFC and Iwokrama International Centre. The organisers are also receiving support from the Food and Agriculture Organisation, the European Forestry Institute, European Commission, UK Department for International Development (DFID), Amerindian Peoples Association and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

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