PRESIDENT David Granger says Guyana’s partnership with the European Union has impacted the local economy to a great extent, especially within the context of trade and development assistance.The President made these comments on Wednesday at the Ministry of the Presidency, as he accepted Letters of Credence from the new European Union, Ambassador to Guyana, Jernej Videtic.
“The EU has sought to craft the cooperation agenda to meet new challenges such as climate change, food security, regional integration, state fragility and aid effectiveness. These are all issues that impact on Guyana’s development. We are happy to learn that the EU remains committed to working with Guyana to meet these challenges,” President Granger said. He added that his administration is pleased to continue its cooperation with the European Union with regard to a new UN development agenda for 2015 and beyond. Pillars of development cooperation, economic and trade cooperation, and reinforcement of political institutions will be crucial to the implementation of such an agenda, President Granger added.
Further, Guyana has been visible in this process through its role as co-facilitator for the recently concluded Third International Conference on Financing for Development. However, moving forward, the President said his administration will continue its constructive engagement as the world approaches the Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Agreement on Climate Change, later this year.
Meanwhile, the Ambassador Videtic, in brief remarks after presenting his credentials conveyed the best wishes of the President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, and the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, to the representatives and the people of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana. “This is of course a very important year for Guyana given the general and regional elections which took place in May. I wish the new Government the very best in furthering the development of Guyana. 2015 is a special year for our relationship for a number of reasons: 2015 is the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the European Union Delegation in Guyana, which ushered in a close and mutually beneficial partnership between Guyana and the EU, based on shared values, which continues to this day and which I intend to build on during my mandate as Ambassador.” He said he found it auspicious that he is commencing his mandate here in the “European Year for Development”, the motto of which is “Our World, Our Dignity, Our Future”. “Guyana has always played a prominent role in regional and international relations, especially in formulating international development policies. Indeed, this year we mark 40 years since representatives from close to 80 African, Caribbean and Pacific countries met here in Georgetown to sign an agreement which created the ACP Group of States and became the Group’s fundamental charter,” the new ambassador said.
According to him 2015 is also a critical year for the entire planet: in December the COP21 summit takes place in Paris with the objective of securing an ambitious agreement that will ensure the world remains on track to keep global warming below a 2° C increase limit. He said all countries are affected by climate change, most of all vulnerable states. We, the EU and Guyana, can do a lot by acting together in international fora to bring about change to protect our fragile planet. Another extremely important event is this month’s United Nations Sustainable Development Summit which will decide on the Post-2015 Agenda, the ambassador noted, adding that Guyana has again showed its continuing engagement in shaping international development policies by having played a prominent role in the preparations for this summit, serving as co-facilitator for consultations on the Financing for Development Conference which took place in Addis Ababa in July this year – on which depends the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals of the post-2015 Agenda. “This new Agenda will also influence the new post-Cotonou framework.