Georgetown, Guyana – (June 16, 2016) Guyana recently attended a Forest Investment Programme Pilot (FIP) Meeting in Oaxaca, Mexico aimed at enhancing learning and sharing experiences between the 72 FIP countries with regard to sustainable forestry practices.

Cabinet, on June 7, granted approval for Mr. Mahendra Saywack, a technical officer in the Ministry of Natural Resources, who specialises in sustainable development, to attend the meeting, which was held from June 12-14. Guyana’s participation was made possible through an invitation from the Climate Investment Fund (CIF), which provided the funding.

This meeting focused on the implementation of sustainable forest management practices, fostering of peer to peer learning among pilot countries on practical issues related to the design and implementation of FIP investment plans and other forestry activities, and the creation of a format that allows for feedback and interaction among countries.

Since 2008, the CIF has been leading efforts to empower transformations in energy, climate resilience, transport and the forestry sectors. The fund, which has US$8.3B in pledges, is providing 72 developing and middle-income countries with urgently needed resources to manage the challenges of climate change and reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. However, the fund is expected to attract an additional $58 billion of co-financing for a portfolio of over 300 projects.

In March 2015, the Government expressed interest in partnering with CIF to receive FIP funding, which would be used for developing projects as a means of offering the private sector alternative forms of industry development that will preserve the forests while promoting economic development.

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