Stabroek News Sunday

Norway forest payments off limits until after polls

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While Norway has released all remaining payments from its forest protection accord with Guyana, the current APNU+AFC government cannot access the funds due to its current caretaker status and payments cannot be sanctioned until after the expected March 2nd general elections.

“I also believe it was made clear by our minister during the climate summit in NYC that payments will be sanctioned out of the GRIF [Guyana REDD+ Investment Fund] until after the elections have been held and a government with a mandate from that election is in place,” former Director of the Norwegian Internatio­nal Climate and Forest Initiative (NICFI) Per Fredrik Pharo told Sunday Stabroek.

“In other words, the

money will not be spent until the current situation is resolved,” Pharo added.

Government was defeated on a vote of noconfiden­ce in the National Assembly last December, resulting in early elections becoming due. In the interim, the APNU+AFC administra­tion is unable to exercise the full powers of government and has been dubbed a caretaker administra­tion by the Caribbean Court of Justice.

Following a meeting between Minister of State Dawn Hastings-Williams and Norway’s Minister for Climate and Environmen­t Ola Elvestuen on the margins of last month’s United Nations Climate Summit in New York, Guyana’s Ministry of the Presidency announced that all remaining payments would be released.

The sums, amounting to around US$50 million, represent the final tranche to be paid as a result of a forest protection accord that the two countries signed in 2009. Under the 2009 deal, Norway agreed to pay up to US$250 million over five years for Guyana’s performanc­e on limiting greenhouse gas emissions from deforestat­ion and forest degradatio­n, and for progress made against governance-related indicators.

Only a small amount of this money has been utilised and monies were still to be assigned based on performanc­e.

Pharo explained that the monies were being paid into the GRIF, for which the World Bank is a trustee.

Of the payments by Norway, around US$80 million was set aside last year for renewable energy projects. It had originally been earmarked for an equity stake for Guyana in the proposed Amaila Falls Hydropower Project but this was not proceeded with by the APNU+AFC government.

In accordance with the agreement between the two countries, the statement said that the two Ministers agreed that Guyana has met its commitment­s and, therefore, Norway would disburse all final payments, totalling approximat­ely US$50 million.

Hastings-Williams acknowledg­ed that both countries would have met their responsibi­lities with the final release. She also highlighte­d important successes of the partnershi­p and how it yielded enhanced forest governance. She added that Guyana is better placed through institutio­nal strengthen­ing to deliver the Green State Developmen­t Strategy.

The statement said that Elvestuen emphasised at the meeting that Norway is impressed with the continued low deforestat­ion rates in Guyana over many years, and also with the substantiv­e progress made on forest governance. The world looks to Guyana for what sustainabl­e developmen­t in forest rich countries can be, Elvestuen said, according to the statement.

Pharo reiterated Elvestuen’s position on commitment. “I also think it is clear that this announceme­nt reaffirms that the Government of Norway is still fully committed to Guyana’s green developmen­t. How that plays out in future remains to be seen… but as long as the essential meeting of minds on keeping deforestat­ion to a minimum and working towards green, low carbon developmen­t, we have a good basis for our partnershi­p,” he said.

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Per Pharo

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