THE Forests Products Association (FPA) notably recognizes the concerns raised in the open letter to Minister Erik Solheim, Minister of the Environment & International Development of Norway, dated March 24, 2011. As a Private Sector body, we believe in open dialogue and transparency in development initiatives such as the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS).
Further, as a critical forest resource base stakeholder, we support any initiative such as the LCDS which adds greater value to our natural resources in a manner that benefits our nation.
In this regard and respectfully we wish to embrace the LCDS funding mechanisms and fiduciary oversight as set out by International Standards.
Our expectation is that greater attention will be placed on the development of the Forest Sector along with other natural resource base sectors under the LCDS. As such, efficient and environmentally friendly alternative energy sources are a welcomed prospect given the increasingly prohibitive cost of fuel being sourced externally.
In closing, we trust that responsible actions will prevail in advancing our efforts under the LCDS initiative and that all concerned stakeholders will exercise their constitutional rights with the development of Guyana as a primary objective.