STAKEHOLDER CONSULTATIONS AND PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
The Office of the President will very shortly launch Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy and mount a countrywide awareness programme and series of stakeholder consultations to sensitise Guyanese and to obtain comments on the document.

The Strategy will provide the broad framework of Guyana’s response to climate change and will hinge, in particular on Guyana deploying its forests to mitigate global climate change. It builds on work done in the last year which culminated in the launch in December 2008 of Guyana’s Position on Avoided Deforestation which essentially serves as the model for the Strategy’s development.

The key focus areas of the strategy will be investments in low carbon economic infrastructure; investments in high-potential low-carbon sectors; expanding access to services and new economic opportunities for indigenous and forest communities and transforming the village economy as well as improving social services and economic opportunities for the wider Guyanese population; and investments in climate change adaptation infrastructure.

The Strategy will be launched on Monday, June 8th 2009, at the Guyana International Convention Centre. The launch will be bring together a wide range of stakeholders including members of the National Assembly, representatives of indigenous and forest communities, stakeholders from the mining and forestry sectors, as well as major private sector organisations, organised labour, and local and international non-governmental organizations. As part of the forum there will be break-out sessions with stakeholder groups to allow for discussions, interaction and feedback.

Following the launch, there will be a series of consultations at the sub-national level and a national awareness campaign utilizing print and electronic media and including television programmes, interviews and discussions targeting the general public as well as schools.

At the sub-national level, there will be a series of consultations targeting the 10 regions. Consultations will be held in Regions 1,7,8,9 and 10, as well as on the coast, in Essequibo and Berbice. These consultations cover a period of three months and will target all stakeholders but in particular indigenous and forest communities.

In addition to the Strategy, a Question and Answer Booklet is being prepared to capture the essence of the strategy in layman language as well as to provide responses and clarification on a number of frequently asked questions regarding climate change, Guyana’s response and deploying Guyana’s forest towards addressing global climate change.

During the national consultations, the Strategy will be tabled for debate and approval in the National Assembly and will also be presented at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change meeting to be held in Copenhagen, Denmark in December, 2009.

The Strategy represents an important juncture in Guyana’s national development efforts and all stakeholders are encouraged to participate in the consultations.