– Persaud says region has advanced sustainable development, but more needed
Leaders from across the Caribbean and other stakeholders met yesterday for the one-day Caribbean RIO+20 Preparatory Meeting. And Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud, addressing the gathering, made it clear that much more support is needed in terms of financial resources, technical expertise, monitoring and evaluation, the development of verifiable targets and benchmarks, and better regional coordination.

The minister noted that 20 years ago the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) laid the framework for stronger global political commitment and partnership aimed at a balanced and more integrated approach to implement the three pillars of sustainable development – environment, social and economic actions.
He added that since then, the Caribbean has been facing changing realties on several fronts.
Persaud pointed out that since RIO, there has been an increase in extreme weather conditions and natural disasters of unprecedented magnitude as in Indonesia, Haiti, Japan and even here in Guyana in 2005.
He stated that global data examined for the region over the last two decades suggest that four natural hazard types: earthquakes, volcanoes, tropical cyclone (hurricanes), flood and drought, have been responsible for 94% of deaths triggered by natural disasters.
Additionally, he noted that the region has weathered one of the worst global financial crises which saw a decline in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rates; contraction of GDP; increased pressure on reserves; and declining credit and financial flows.
“In the midst of these serious constraints, the need to develop becomes ever more challenging. There is no doubt that some progress has been made, individually and collectively, to forge a new archetype,” he said.
Persaud said national plans, strategies and initiatives, as well as international and regional agreements, have been advanced by many countries in the move to incorporate sustainable development into governance structures and to adopt green development policies.
However, the Agriculture Minister stressed that there is still a long way to go.

UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY
Persaud stressed that the summit is a unique opportunity for the Caribbean region to create linkages that will support advancement.
He said, “Without strong financial support, institutions and access to appropriate technology, achieving sustainable development will be a daunting task…RIO presents us with a unique opportunity, based on new and shared experiences, to seek meaningful commitment and partnerships for production and consumption, technology transfer, finance, capacity building and climate change.”
Persaud stressed that leaders need to reflect on both the progress and barriers to advancement, as well as emerging threats.
“It is important that we reflect on the progress we have made so far, the actions and barriers that have stymied our efforts, the emerging threats we are confronted with, and the opportunities we can take advantage of,” he posited.
The Agriculture Minister explained that this is necessary, as the Caribbean is challenged to prepare for RIO+20 within the focus of green economy, sustainable development, poverty eradication and institutional frameworks for sustainable development.

PIONEERING MODEL
Persaud said, “In the midst of these constraints, the path to sustainable development becomes even more challenging; there’s no doubt that some progress has been made individually by states, as well as collectively by regions in this regard.”
To this end, he pointed to Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) and noted that the model is a pioneering one in the region.
He stated that the LCDS, launched in 2009, charts a development pathway aimed at stimulating the creation of a low-deforestation, low-carbon and climate-resilient economy.
Persaud stressed that a key aspect of the strategy is that it commits to the conscious policy position of the government that all developmental activities must be done using environmental and social best practices.
The LCDs seeks to stimulate this low-carbon economy through several routes to address the issues of poverty alleviation and diversifying its economy, thereby reducing pressure on natural resources. Examples include:
* Advancing investment in low-carbon economic infrastructure such as hydro power;
* Improving access to unused, non-forested land and improving fibre optic bandwidth technology;
* Nurturing high-potential low-carbon sectors, such as fruits and vegetables, aquaculture, sustainable forestry and wood processing;
* Investing in low carbon business development opportunities such as business process outsourcing and ecotourism;
* Expanding access to services and new economic opportunities for indigenous peoples through improved social services, including health and water, low-carbon energy sources, clean water and employment which does not threaten the forest; and
* Improving services to  broader Guyanese citizenry, including job prospects, promoting private-sector entrepreneurship, and improving social services.
“Guyana’s LCDS is a pioneering national-scale development policy of its kind which can provide useful development model lessons to the world as we approach Rio + 20,” Persaud posited.
Yesterday’s meeting was convened by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and the CARICOM Secretariat.  It was aimed at discussing and agreeing on priorities and issues of importance to the Caribbean region for the upcoming RIO+20 to be held in June 2012 in Brazil.
The United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD) will mark the 20th anniversary of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), in Rio de Janeiro, and the 10th anniversary of the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg.
The objective of the conference is to secure renewed political commitment for sustainable development, assess the progress to date and the remaining gaps in the implementation of the outcomes of the major summits on sustainable development, and address new and emerging challenges.