Guyana, IDB recommit to the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) Project

Georgetown: In a concerted effort to enhance Guyana’s response to climate change, the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) working jointly with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), have recommitted to further advancing efforts on the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) Project in Guyana. The US $3.8 million grant program is dedicated to addressing governance issues and building stakeholder capacity for Guyana to be able to achieve eligibility to benefit from investments that would accrue shared benefits for stakeholder communities. A joint two day Stakeholder Meeting was hosted October 5th and 6th, 2016 at the Pegasus Hotel, by the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), to present the scope of the FCPF and engage with key stakeholders on the efforts of the Government of Guyana to establish an enabling framework and build the country’s capacity for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+). A large cross section of stakeholders actively participated in the workshop which included NGOs, the Private Sector, Indigenous Peoples Associations, Civil Society and Government Ministries. The Ministry of Natural Resources acknowledged that while the project had previously encountered some administrative and operational setbacks that affected its progress, they have reset the process and put in place robust institutional arrangements to support the forward movement in the project’s execution and work with all stakeholders in order to ensure a successful implementation of the project. During the two-day event, stakeholders actively engaged in robust group and individual discussions on various elements of the program, such as presentations on REDD+, the FCPF Project and its objectives. This was enhanced by a presentation from a representative from the Government of Peru on the development, process and challenges of its FCPF program. It ended with a recommitment of stakeholders towards the successful outcome of the FCPF project in Guyana.