-strategy to become operational soon

Guyana’s Green State Development Strategy (GSDS) is expected to become operationalised soon as the framework document for a ‘green’ pathway has been finalised.
The document, which is titled ‘Framework of the Guyana Green State Development Strategy and Financing Mechanisms “, lays out the elements to be examined and consulted upon during the course of developing the GSDS.

The Department of Environment, under whose purview the GSDS falls, will pilot a massive Education and Awareness campaign over the next 12 to 18 months to raise awareness of the framework document while other governmental and non-governmental entities will also support the initiative. The campaign will ensure that consultations and engagements are informed and constructive.
The document represents a roadmap for developing Guyana along a reduced emissions pathway and builds on the successes of the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) and several other national documents such as the Nationally Determined Contributions, Climate Resilience Strategy Action Plan (CRSAP), Draft National Energy Policy, and National Adaptation Strategy for the Agricultural Sector (2009 -2018).

Central to the document’s success will be several major themes and these include structural transformation, sustainable management of natural resources, transition towards renewable energy, resilient infrastructure and spatial development as well as human development and wellbeing. In addition, it will cover governance and institutional foundations as well as international cooperation, trade and investment.

The document was prepared by the Ministry of the Presidency with the technical and financial support of UN Environment, in close coordination with the UN Country Team, and based on an initial stakeholder consultation. The GSDS has been conceptualized to guide Guyana’s economic and sociocultural development over the next 15 years. It presents government’s principal foundations for inclusive green economic and social growth, provide a roadmap for achieving sustainable development targets, and related targets, and outline a long-term vision for a prosperous and equitable future.

The objective of the strategy is to reorient and diversify Guyana’s economy, reducing reliance on traditional sectors and opening up new sustainable income and investment opportunities in higher value-adding and higher growth sectors.
The GSDS will provide a platform from which Guyana can start the transition to a diversified green and inclusive economy and embrace sustainable development, become a leading example of a “Green State”, and serve as an inspiration to other countries in the region and world-wide

A month ago when the Department of Environment was officially commissioned by the government, President David Granger stated that the transition to the green state requires the collective action of all agencies, authorities, boards, department and ministries of the government. “This department is expected to play a pivotal role in national development,” he said of the newly commissioned state entity. According to the President, the unit “must coordinate the work of all those agencies,” relative to the environment and sustainable energy-generation. The President noted too that the department will be required to work with other agencies to ensure that the green agenda remains on course.