– says letter is woefully short on facts and long on political rhetoric
THE Office of Climate Change (OCC) in Guyana issued a statement last night, saying it has seen an open letter addressed to the government of Norway that was sent by a group of persons well known for their anti-government and destructive politics. According to the OCC, the letter is clearly written with the express intention of undermining the joint commitments of the governments of Guyana and Norway to an international effort to combat climate change through the funding of a low carbon development strategy for Guyana.
It is understood that the letter is addressed to Norway’s Minister of Environment and International Development, Mr. Erik Solheim.
“The letter is woefully short on facts and long on political rhetoric and, sadly, reveals a fundamental ignorance of the REDD+ model and its mechanisms,” the OCC stated.
“It is instructive that the letter attempts to question the qualifications of the International Development Bank (IDB) and the United Nations Development Programme to serve as partner entities for the supervision of the implementation of the projects already funded and from which our Amerindian communities will be the direct beneficiaries,” the OCC statement added.
It said the letter sets out to denigrate even the credibility of the international consultants such as the Rainforest Alliance responsible for evaluating the progress of the REDD Governance Plan and LCDS and the New Zealand based Poyry Forest Industry responsible for monitoring and verification of deforestation.
The OCC also pointed out that “the letter offers nothing new and nothing constructive”.
“It does not deserve to be taken seriously,” declared the local climate change body.