Paramaribo, Suriname – (February 13, 2019) The Kingdom of Norway, this morning, announced that it will provide additional support to High Forest Cover countries, including Guyana at the Climate Finance Roundtable of the High Forest Cover Low Deforestation (HFLD) Conference held in Paramaribo, Suriname.

The announcement, which is welcomed by Minister of State, Mr. Joseph Harmon, was made during a presentation by Mr. Eirik Brun Sorlie, Special Envoy for Climate and Forest, Embassy of Norway in Brasilia, Brazil who represented the Minister of Environment.

Minister Harmon, within whose purview the Department of Environment and Office of Climate Change fall, described the announcement as good news for Guyana noting that it is timely as Guyana, is pursuing its Green State Development Strategy (GSDS). 

“What he did in fact say in the general meeting this morning is that the Parliament of Norway has agreed to an extension of bilateral arrangements up to 2030 and that covers the Agreement between Guyana and Norway. He said that they are looking at strengthening the partnership between us and them. So it was a very fruitful encounter and I am confident that the Norwegians want to be a part of our fight against climate change and protection of our forests and want to encourage us down that path. So we are very happy to hear that because we are currently in discussions with the Kingdom of Norway for an extension of the Agreement between the two countries,” Minister Harmon said.

Mr. Sorlie visited Guyana on Tuesday, where he met Director, Department of Energy, Dr. Mark Bynoe and officials of the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC).

The cornerstones of the Guyana-Norway partnership are to safeguard Guyana’s rainforest, improve forest governance and support Guyana’s holistic green development, including the transition to green and renewable energy.

Meanwhile, during the Roundtable this morning, Minister Harmon said the world must begin to recognise the important role that HFLD countries play in mitigating the effects of global warming and climate change not just for its citizens but globally. He advocated for more resources to be made available to these countries so that they can continue the protection and preservation of the forests. 

The Minister of State will address the HLDF conference tomorrow.

 

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