Forest protecting states must get timely resources –Jagdeo

By Gaulbert Sutherland in Oslo, Norway
Once results in reducing carbon emissions are delivered, resources should be provided in a timely manner, President Bharrat Jagdeo warned developed countries here yesterday.

Bharrat Jagdeo

He sounded the call as fifty-two developed and developing countries agreed to partner to save forests, hoping to “fast track” financing for reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD). “We have had difficulties in the past trying to work 1out with some of the institutions the new mechanisms for delivering climate funds. It is slightly different from ODA (Official Development Assistance), particularly if it’s payment for services and I know it’s new for many of the IFI’s too but they need to put a little more effort and first order political attention within these agencies to design new instruments and new ways of disbursing funds and not the old laborious ways”, he said at the Oslo Climate and Forest Conference held at the Holmenkollen Park Hotel Rica in the surrounding hills of Oslo.

He pointed to Guyana’s US$250M forest preservation agreement with Norway saying that despite meeting all the conditions for the first year, Guyana has had difficulties in accessing the funds. An official from the Norwegian Ministry of the Environment had earlier told Stabroek News that an independent monitor will have to verify that Guyana has completed the enabling activities and depending on this review money will be disbursed but the US$30M promised this year is not a guaranteed sum. The President had said in Georgetown that the first disbursement had been expected earlier this year.

Jagdeo urged that developed and developing countries use the partnership to better understand each other saying that there are some peculiarities and issues to which keen attention should be paid in devising any REDD mechanism. Tackling deforestation alone in isolation from a development plan which creates alternatives for people who rely on forests will not be successful, he said. “We have to focus on tackling deforestation in a context of creating alternatives for people”, he added.

The President said that process matters and as democratically elected leaders, “we can only do what our people allow us to do”. If the leaders want the changes they are making now to last beyond successive governments, the people have to be involved and it’s not so hard when the initial step is taken, he declared. He highlighted Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy pointing to the weekly meetings of the multi-stakeholder committee which involves indigenous people, the labour movement, private sector, miners, loggers, women, and almost every other stakeholder. There is also “the active involvement of the opposition through the parliamentary process. We think process matters”, he emphasized.

If the results are delivered and the money earned from forest carbon is used in a productive and accountable way, then the developed countries and the international financial institutions, at least for the short term before there is a new financial mechanism, must understand that they need to funnel resources in a timely manner with the least bureaucracy, Jagdeo said. He said that there have been difficulties with trying to work out with some of the institutions new mechanisms to deliver climate funds. Referring to Guyana’s agreement with Norway, he said “we are ready, we have met the conditions for the first year. Norway has agreed with that and yet we have difficulties intermediating with these funds”.

Jagdeo said that Guyana is using the funds to catalyze a range of new investments saying that “US$60M from that fund will probably catalyze a US$600M hydro power” (plant) which will supply the entire country’s electricity needs. He noted that this would be private funds and yet that US$60M can deliver that kind of result. He added that the money could also be used for indigenous peoples’ transformation and land titling activities.

The president said that he looks forward to the sharing of experiences, particularly with forest countries on how they can approach these together. He said the countries can learn from each other and he looks forward to a greater understanding between the developing countries and the developing countries with the partnership. He acknowledged that the developed countries have concerns too and their taxpayers are going to argue that they are providing funds for the developing world and the developing countries have to demonstrate that these funds are used in an accountable manner. (See other story on page 4.)