Georgetown : Fundamental sustainable development challenges crucial to achieving a green economy is regarded by President Donald Ramotar as a necessary priority of the upcoming United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (Rio +20) in Brazil where world leaders will meet to address global challenges.
According to a Government Information Agency’s report, speaking at the Second CARICOM-Mexico Summit on May 21 in Barbados, President Ramotar shared the view that a green economy framework can play a critical role in rehabilitating the economies of CARICOM Member States which continue to be negatively affected by the 2008-2009 global financial and economic crises.
“Member States have been and are interpreting the green economy concept according to their national sustainable development priorities and national economic and social conditions. In fact, several of our Member States have developed, or are in the process of developing, sectoral policies, sustainable development strategies, strategic and medium term planning programmes and natural resource management frameworks that serve as the basis for a greener, low-carbon economic transition and, at the same time, address the issue of poverty eradication and the broader goal of sustainable development,” President Ramotar said.
Guyana’s model, the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) seeks to build and expand on the country’s economic and social reforms.
With the country’s forest at the centre, the project seeks to transition Guyana onto a low carbon path where millions of United States dollars received through the world’s second largest forest climate services arrangement, will be invested in hydropower, Amerindian land titling, fibre optic cable laying and the establishment of an international centre for biodiversity research.
Despite the drastic move by the one-seat opposition political parties’ majority in the parliament to slash the $18.3B allocation to the LCDS in the 2012 budget, the government remains resolute in its vision.
President Ramotar told delegates at the Summit that he was pleased with the efforts of several CARICOM Member States to develop, sectoral policies, sustainable development strategies, strategic and medium-term planning programmes and natural resource management frameworks that serve as the basis for a greener, low-carbon economic transition and, at the same time, address the issue of poverty eradication and the broader goal of sustainable development.
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