–with launch of multi-stakeholder advisory committee

SENIOR ministerial representatives and stakeholders of Guyana’s Green State Development Strategy (GSDS) have renewed their commitment to the initiative with the recent launching of the GSDS Inter-Ministerial and Multi-Stakeholder Advisory Committee.
The ceremony took place on Thursday at the Cara Lodge, and saw the formation of a group of representatives who have been tasked with providing political and technical advice; formulating policies and initiatives; and generally working in concert to ensure an integrated and multi-sectoral approach to the strategy.

According to the Department of Environment in a press release, the Advisory Committee comprises senior representatives of the ministries of Natural Resources, Finance, Foreign Affairs, Education, Legal Affairs, Public Infrastructure and the Guyana Energy Agency.
It is also made up of several private sector stakeholders, among them representatives of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI), the Private Sector Commission (PSC), the Guyana Women Miners Association, Transparency Institute, the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association as well as representatives of the Mayor.
At the launching, Director of Environment, Ndibi Schwiers established that the Advisory Committee was necessary if there is to be a participatory approach to the elaboration of Guyana’s Green State Development Strategy.

“The GSDS is not a government strategy; it is a strategy to be elaborated with and for all Guyanese,” Schwiers was quoted as saying in the release.
Meanwhile, in expressing his gratitude to President David Granger, Regional Director of UN Environment’s Latin America and Caribbean Office, Leo Heileman, said: “The launching of the Inter-Ministerial and Multi-Stakeholder Advisory Committee showed the commitment of the Guyanese.”

This re-establishment of commitment was shared by several chairs and co-chairs, as well as PSC representative, Ramesh Dookhoo, who delivered a report from the Export Group on the ‘Green and Inclusive Structural Transformation’.

According to the press release, Dookhoo acknowledged that in alignment with the government’s mandate, the PSC needed to be in the forefront of realising a “green” economy, and he therefore requested that they be represented within all expert groups.
Recently, a total of US$1.5M (the equivalent of G$300M) was secured by the Ministry of the Presidency to finance the GSDS.

This was approved by the Steering Committee of the Guyana REDD+ Investment Fund following the submission of a detailed proposal and work plan.