The government of Guyana and the European Union (EU) on Friday signed a financing agreement to the tune of 14.8 million euros under the 10th European Development Fund (EDF) Sea and River Defence Sector Budget Support Programme.
Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh said the support is most welcomed since Guyana remains vulnerable to climate change, particularly rising sea levels. Some 90 per cent of the population lives on the coast.
“Guyana’s topography renders it vulnerable to natural risks related to climate change and sea level rise as most of the country’s key assets are located in vulnerable low-lying areas and are protected by sea defences,” a joint statement by the two parties noted.
All of Guyana’s towns and major settlements and the vast majority of all non–mining industrial activities, including agriculture and other economic activities are undertaken within the coastal zone.
But despite these vulnerabilities, Dr Singh said the Guyana government has made extraordinary contributions to the global fight against climate change with the preservation of its pristine rainforests. He expressed appreciation that the EU has recognised these efforts and has come onboard to assist Guyana in confronting the challenge.
“Government continues to invest extensive resources into this sector to protect and maintain the structural integrity of the sea and river defence infrastructure and advancing sustainable shore zone management systems in Guyana, and has been partnering with the EU to protect and maintain the structural integrity of these systems,” the statement added.
Heartened
Meanwhile, EU Ambassador Robert Kopecký said it was heartening to partner with Guyana in this regard and underscored how savings can be garnered in the future from investing in proper infrastructure now.
Kopecký said the EU’s investment stretches beyond the upgrading of sea defences by means of construction as it includes the restoration plan for a mangrove forest at various locations (river or sea defence) countrywide.
The EU’s partnership with the government in this sector dates back to the Seventh EDF programme signed on February 24, 1994, at which time 12 million euros was committed.
A further 20 million euros and 18.018 million euros were committed under the eighth and ninth EDF programmes respectively. Overall, the EU has contributed about 50 million euros to the sea and river defence sector in Guyana. This investment saw the construction, rehabilitation and/or maintenance of approximately 35 kilometres of sea defence structures in Regions Two, Three, Four, and Six.
The 10th EDF financing agreement builds on previous sea and river defence programmes undertaken by the government and the EU. The previous financial commitments made under the seventh, eighth and ninth EDFs have been implemented through project interventions, but recent policy developments have set the environment for continuing EDF assistance to the sea and river defence sector through sector budget support.
A detailed implementation plan for sea and river defences was developed in 2012 by the government of Guyana to facilitate progressive adoption and enforcement of the policy by all stakeholders. The implementation plan focuses on an initial developmental period of five years from 2013 to 2017. During this time, a number of activities will be pursued with the objective of improving the efficiency and sustainability of the sea and river defence sector.
In order for Guyana to qualify for financial disbursement under the 10th EDF financing agreement, the sea and river defence sector would have to satisfy specific performance criteria in investment and performance targets, including a detailed annual implementation plan, capacity-building plan, annual condition surveys of all 160km of manmade sea defences and implementation of an annual infrastructure programme.
