Guyana and the Rio+20 Summit

While Guyana expects much of the Rio+ 20 Summit to be held next week in Rio de Janeiro Brazil, Natural Resources and Environment Minister Robert Persaud said from the look of things not many commitments would be made to take the requisite action to achieve a viable framework that will, in turn, promote sustainable development globally.
“While this conference takes on the larger objective in terms of promoting sustainable development and looking at key areas, there is not much optimism that there will be the types of commitments and firm resolve to take the necessary actions that are so required if we are to achieve a viable framework whereby we can promote the objectives of sustainable development,” Minister Persaud stated.
He made these comments at the second preparatory workshop that saw the outline of Guyana’s main position on sustainable development being presented in the form of a national report titled “Rio+ 20 National Report-A Green Economy and Institutional Framework for Sustainable Development: the Guyana Context” at the Guyana International Conference Centre, Liliendaal on Monday.
Persaud said Guyana is on an irreversible track to ensure that local development continues along a low-carbon path even if the desired outcomes are not achieved at the Rio + 20 summit. He said Guyana stands firm in its commitment to ensure that all international commitments are upheld, and the country will also be improving its national policies vigorously.
The national report documents in detail how Guyana has been able to fulfill all its commitments. “In reviewing this report, I hope that all of us will be proud of the efforts we have made as a nation over the past 20 years in fulfilling the commitments; sticking to the overall objectives of the first Rio Summit. This should certainly give us a great sense of national pride,” Minister Persaud posited.

Broken promises
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, who represented President Donald Ramotar, said that the issue of climate change has brought the world together.
Hinds said Guyana has a good case to put forward and can also learn a lot from the other nations, which have been working to address the issue of climate change. “I hope that by the end of this year, the world at large will be taking great steps towards the agreements that we have been looking for,” the prime minister stated.
In his remarks, Presidential Advisor on Sustainable Development Navin Chandarpal said that the international community must be reminded of their obligations and their non-fulfillment of their commitments made at the Rio Conference. He pointed to Guyana’s Iwokrama Rainforest Programme, noting that it was the product of widespread consultations.
“Here was a small country with limited resources providing to the world a living laboratory: to really put into effect what sustainable forest management would mean… Iwokrama Rainforest Programme could very well stifle to death because of those who made bold promises and those who have the resources to give have not been fulfilling their responsibilities,” he said.
According to Chandarpal, the summit provides an opportunity for the reinvigoration of the spirit that was alive in 1992. This, he said, would allow for developed and developing states to unite and cooperate to find a solution.
Presidential Advisor on Climate Change Shyam Nokta reminded the participants of the challenges and threats posed by climate change. He said since the Rio Summit in 1992, Guyana has made marked progress, foremost of which is the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) that seeks to reconcile two global forces often deemed incompatible: economic development and combating climate change.
He posited that Rio+ 20 provides an ideal opportunity for global leadership, to take stock of what has been achieved over the last 20 years, push the theme of green economy, and to shift the momentum of leadership on sustainable development and climate change.
“Guyana is going into Rio+ 20 having made significant progress from 1992 on all of the obligations we have signed as part of Agenda 21 and the three Rio conventions,” he said.
Similarly, UN Resident Coordinator Khadija Musa said, “Guyana has made commendable progress in the pursuit of sustainable development. The national approach to sustainable development in Guyana is based on a commitment to ensure the integration of the three pillars of sustainable development in the national policy framework.” She also pledged the UN system’s support for the development of low-carbon approaches that promote sustainable poverty reduction and pro-poor growth, noting that the national stocktaking report stands as testimony to effective collaboration which has characterised the process.
The Rio+ 20 Summit will be held from June 20 to22. There, Guyana is scheduled to present a national assessment of the country’s progress, gaps remaining and the country’s experiences and opportunities pertaining to the themes of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD).
Issues that will be discussed include: securing political commitment for sustainable development, addressing progress towards global commitments, and addressing new and emerging challenges especially those related to the transition of the low-carbon economy.