The United Kingdom has once again thrown its support behind the Natural Resources Ministry, signalling its commitment to the sustainability of the forestry sector and the management of its resources.
The commitment was given on Wednesday, at the opening of a three-day Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) workshop at the Pegasus Hotel, Georgetown.
Acting British High Commissioner to Guyana, Ron Rimmer said the UK was very much concerned about actions that led to forest degradation and has been working with Guyana on this, seeking out ways to help curb the growing incidence.
“The UK continues to be committed to help the country reinforce their forest governance and carrying out responsible trade and the FLEGT approach is the heart of such a commitment,” he said.
Government, in 2012, entered into a formal process of negotiating a Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) with the European Union under the auspices of the latter’s FLEGT Action Plan, which was developed in response to the problem of illegal logging and trade in associated timber products in many nations across the globe.
Commissioner of the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC), James Singh reminded the workshop that over 85 per cent of Guyana’s land mass was covered in tropical forest, which supported the livelihood of Indigenous Guyanese and others who depend on logging and mining activities for their livelihood.
The Georgetown FLEGT seminar is the second such event held in Guyana and is organised by the National Technical Working Group and the FLEGT Facilitation Support Office in collaboration with the GFC and the Iwokrama International Centre with support from the Food and Agriculture Organisation, European Forestry Institute, European Commission, UK Department for International Development (DFID), Amerindian Peoples Association and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
The Guyanese National Technical Working Group (NTWG) has since spearheaded widespread consultations with Government agencies, civil society and Private Sector stakeholders throughout the country.
