President Donald Ramotar updated heads of government on the work of the Iwokrama International Centre (IIC) during the just-concluded Commonwealth heads of government meeting in Sri Lanka. The IIC is an international not-for-profit organisation, governed by an international board of trustees and managed by a professional team of around 70 permanent staff in Georgetown and at the Iwokrama River Lodge and Research Centre at Kurupukari, Region Eight.
The IIC’s patron is the Prince of Wales.
The centre was established in 1996 under a joint mandate from the government of Guyana and the Commonwealth Secretariat to manage the Iwokrama forest, a unique reserve of 371,000 hectares of rainforest, “in a manner that will lead to lasting ecological, economic and social benefits to the people of Guyana and to the world in general”.
Dedicated site
The Iwokrama forest and its research centre are unique, providing a dedicated site in which to test the concept of a truly sustainable forest – where conservation, environmental balance and economic use can be mutually reinforcing.
Drawing on its earlier work in sustainable forest management, the IIC is now, in close collaboration with the government of Guyana, the Commonwealth and other international partners, including UK company Canopy Capital, developing a new approach to enable countries with rainforests to earn significant income from eco-system services and creative conservation practice.
Heads at the summit, according to a Foreign Affairs Ministry statement, acknowledged the valuable role that the Iwokrama Rainforest Programme continues to play in promoting research on the impact of climate change as well as in the development of models for sustainable forest management in transition to low carbon development.
They therefore supported the intensification of efforts to find a long-term solution to develop sustained financing for the programme.
Meanwhile, during his interaction with heads at the summit, President Ramotar noted that their meeting afforded the opportunity for them as leaders of the Commonwealth to recommit to the values and principles of the organisation.
In particular, he highlighted the enormous contribution which the Commonwealth had made over the years in the strengthening of democracy.
Acknowledging that the countries of the Commonwealth were at varying levels of development, President Ramotar said it was important as they sought to strengthen the organisation, that the diversity of the Commonwealth be cherished and respected. He noted that in a world facing many political, socio-economic and environmental problems, the Commonwealth remained a relevant institution as countries worked together to find common solutions.
Appreciation
President Ramotar also joined his colleagues in expressing his sincere appreciation to the President of Sri Lanka, Mahinda Rajapaksa, as well as to the people of Sri Lanka for the excellent arrangements put in place for the hosting of the meeting and the warm and gracious welcome accorded to all of the delegations which set the tone for serious and substantive dialogue and a successful outcome of the meeting.
President Ramotar was accompanied by First Lady Deolatchmie Ramotar and his delegation comprised Foreign Affairs Minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, the ministry’s Director General, Ambassador Elisabeth Harper and Guyana’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom Laleshwar Singh.
