Specific, practical actions germane to today’s realities needed – President - urges at RIO+20
Georgetown, GINA, June 21, 2012 .. Source - GINA
President Donald Ramotar addresses the Rio +20 conference (UN Photo)
President Donald Ramotar has urged world leaders not to end an important forum as the Rio + 20, complacent with mere inspirational messages to address world challenges but, instead seek and agree to specific, practical actions that are applicable to today’s realities.
His caution came today while delivering his address to the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development Rio+20, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil calling for “boldness of vision and an agreement on specific actions that match the scale of the challenges we face.”
Central to the Summit which runs from June 20 to 22, are green economy in the context of sustainable development and in the President’s view, the task of shifting the world onto a sustainable development trajectory that requires actions that utilise the planet’s natural capacity and, energy sources for the benefit of all.
Recognising that financing is a main factor in achieving such objectives, President Ramotar reiterated the call for countries to “face up to the need for funding which the international community has already acknowledged as the fair thing to do.
“The developed world both caused the problem and can afford to pay for solving it. But that sometimes obscures the fact that the solutions to the major issues we discuss - such as climate change, bio-diversity, water regulation - are far more prevalent in the developing world. So we need to see investment where the solutions are- and that will require significant financial transfers,” the Guyanese Leader said.
The Guyana Delegation, lead by President Donald Ramotar at the Rio+ 20 Conference, Rio de Janeiro , Brazil. Also in photo are Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Robert Persaud and Minister of Foreign Affairs Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett (second row)
Past commitments have seen US$30 billion in fast start funding for the period 2010 to 2012 rising to US$100 billion per annum by 2020. Although expeditiousness in the process has been a sore issue, President Ramotar was nevertheless pleased that the commitments to 2020 provide an opening to start the process of correcting the centuries-old imbalances in the global economy.
The Guyanese President said leaders need to be clear about the special conditions that exist across countries - especially those that apply to small highly indebted middle income countries.
Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) which places the country’s forest at the centre of transitioning Guyana onto a low carbon course was explained in detail to world leaders as President Ramotar sought to justify that there is progress in sustainable development.
“Working with Norway, we have become one of the first countries in the world to sell environmental services. We are maintaining 99.5% of our forest, the highest rate in the world,” he said.
In partnership with Norway, Guyana has been implementing an Interim REDD+ arrangement through which the country has already earned about US$70 Million in performance based payments from avoided deforestation and under which the country can earn up to US$ 250 Million by 2015.
President Donald Ramotar addresses the Rio +20 conference in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
The funds Guyana earned are resourcing the implementation of projects that will allow the country to satisfy its entire domestic energy needs through clean energy; support the diversification of the national and local economy and thereby reduce pressures on forests, and to implement climate change adaptation measures.
President Ramotar told world leaders that Guyana remains hopeful that its experiences will be of benefit to other countries and, referred to its efforts last year using its Pro Tempore Chairmanship of the Union of South America Nations (UNASUR) to convince the rest of South America to expand its already high contribution to global sustainable development. Specific mention was made to the Amazon Biome, which contains at least 10% of the world’s known biodiversity, 15% of the world’s total freshwater discharge from rivers, and sequesters billions of tonnes of carbon.
“South America is 5% of the world’s people and 6% of its economy – but the contribution made to global sustainable development is far greater than these figures would suggest,” President Ramotar said.
Guyana is also working with forest countries from across the world through a variety of groupings, from the Interim REDD+ Partnership to the Three Basins Initiative.
President Ramotar maintains however, that courage and political leadership in developing and industrialised countries alike are key to success and expressed the hope that the presence of so many leaders at Rio+20 will help to create the largest coalition of progressive forces ever seen.
“In all cases, experience has shown that sustainable development requires actions that are complex, long-term, at times controversial and politically difficult. It requires courage and political leadership in developing and industrialised countries alike. In all countries, including Guyana, there are regressive forces who don’t want to see sustainable development strategies succeed because they threaten deep-seated vested interests... but whether in large countries or small ones like mine, these regressive forces can cause immense damage, and leadership from the world’s progressives must unite to defeat them,” he said.
The Guyana delegation that includes, former President Bharrat Jagdeo, Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment Robert Persaud, Advisor to the President on Sustainable Development, Science and Technology, Navin Chandarpal and Head of the Office of Climate Change Shyam Nokta is pressing the case for reconciliation of two global forces that have traditionally been seen as incompatible – protecting the environment and economic development, as a critical challenge that must be overcome by the global community.