…briefs Agriculture Minister, stakeholders on their mission

A five-member World Bank team led by Dr Laurent Debroux, Senior Natural Resource Economist, arrived in Guyana yesterday to conduct a second due diligence study, which will be done through dialogue and observation, on Guyana’s readiness to participate in the Bank’s Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF).

The team, joined by the Bank’s Guyana Representative, Giorgio Valentini, and Country Officer, Karen Devica, immediately began their work by meeting with Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud and several other stakeholders at the Guyana Forestry Commission’s (GFC’s) offices in Kingston, Georgetown, to brief them on their mission and outline the activities they plan to conduct over the period of their stay in Guyana.

Stakeholders listen intently as a member of the World Bank’s due diligence study group outlines her role in the activities that will take place in the coming days.

This study follows up on the June FCPF Participants Committee meeting where Guyana, Panama and Indonesia, were the first countries, out of 37 in the Readiness Mechanism of the FCPF, to have their Readiness Proposal Plan (RPP) approved. The first due diligence mission was in July.

The general objective of the mission is to advise and exchange views

with the GFC and other Government institutions on compliance with the Bank’s safeguards and operational policies. The mission’s objective is also to hear the views and exchange with representatives from civil society, Amerindian communities, and other stakeholders regarding Guyana’s participation in this FCPF/REDD (Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation) preparation phase.

The mission will visit the Amerindian communities in the context of a joint field trip with the GFC, the newly-elected Toshaos, and representatives of key non- governmental organisations (NGOs). The communities that will be visited are Kamarang and Nappi.

During this field trip, discussions will cover issues such as land tenure, consultations, communities’ rights, and legal issues, among others.

The mission will also work/provide comments on the draft terms of reference for the Strategic Environmental and Social Assessment (SESA), and the revised draft RPP prepared by the GFC. It will discuss the next steps towards the processing of an FCPF readiness/preparation grant, following the PC recommendation in June.

This mission may also collect ideas and views relevant to the preparation of a proposed Forest, Communities, and Climate Change project, and a proposed Japanese Social Development Fund, as well as for the proposed Guyana-Norway Partnership which the Bank is being asked to help facilitate.

Should Guyana successfully conclude the Bank’s safeguards and other due diligence exercises, it would be able to access a US$3.5M grant for implementing the RPP which focuses on how to maintain the country’s ecosystems through sustainable forest management and to provide environmental and economic benefits to Guyanese and communities while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.  

The other study members include Malcolm Childress (Senior Land Administration Specialist), Zeze Weiss (Senior Social Development & Civil Society Specialist), Miriam Bae (Social Scientist), and Charles di Leva (Chief Counsel Environment).

The NGOs involved in the process are the Amerindian Action Movement of Guyana, National Amerindian Development Foundation, Amerindian People’s Association, and the Guyana Organisation of Indigenous People. (GINA)