AS Guyana prepares to host the 17th session of the Committee for the Review of the Implementation of the Convention (CRIC 17) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), Minister of State Joseph Harmon has lauded organisers for a job well done.

CRIC 17 will be held from January 28-30, 2019 at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC) and will see participation of between 400 to 600 delegates from 196 countries. The delegates will examine the UN’s desertification issues such as land degradation, drought and more.

The hosting of the first conference of its kind in the Caribbean is being spearheaded by the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission (GLSC).

On Wednesday, Minister Harmon perused and assessed the preparedness of the conference centre; made recommendations and had his questions answered by GLSC Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Trevor Benn.

“I’m extremely happy about the arrangements that have been made here. This, of course, is a major conference of the United Nations. It’s the largest conference we would have held in Guyana since 1972, which was a conference of the Non-aligned Movement. Since then, we have learnt significantly how to manage a major event,” Harmon later told reporters.
Benn estimated that works on getting the centre ready for the conference are about 95 per cent complete. Harmon was high in praise for the work done.

“As a Guyanese, I feel extremely proud that we will be showcasing Guyana at a major event like this and walking around here this afternoon, looking at the preparation, I believe we are ready to welcome the United Nations to Guyana. More importantly, it is the young people who I see here who have volunteered in large numbers to actually come and assist in a major conference like this. I believe that some people felt that volunteerism was dead, but it is alive and well in Guyana,” Harmon said, as he congratulated the GLSC for its works.

There will be a separate cultural event on the evening of January 28 to welcome the visitors Guyanese-style as they sip on cocktail and mingle.

Meanwhile, a tourism booth will also be set up to advertise Guyana’s main assets, as well as a replication of Guyana’s Green Expo 2018 opposite the ACCC at the National Aquatic Centre.

Minister Harmon said he is proud of how far Guyana has come and what such opportunities can mean for the country’s future development.

“I know as people come to our airport they will be surprised at the level of development which has taken place in this country over the last three and a half years. Many of them might have heard of Guyana or seen [footage] of Guyana or read about Guyana, but actually coming here and experiencing that level of hospitality, that level of warmth which is the Guyanese people, I think that they will leave here with an excellent experience.
“There are 196 delegations that will be here and it is no easy task managing that, because we have differences in culture, differences in language, differences in religious persuasions and all of that; so all of these issues you have to cater to and I believe that what I’ve seen here satisfies me that we have put our best foot forward.”

The main opening ceremony for CRIC17 will take place on Monday.