Ministry, CI-G ink MoU on green economy

Aimed at promoting the expansion and diversification of Guyana’s green economy, the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) on Tuesday inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Conservation International- Guyana ( CIGuyana).

According to a joint press release from MNR and CI-Guyana, the MoU is based on a shared desire to collaborate to build a sustainable green economy, where there is strong responsible involvement, ownership, action, and benefit sharing by the people of Guyana.

The signing culminated with a briefing session by CI-Guyana with the Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman, and his team to give an update on CI’s work and progress in Guyana.

The MoU will aid in advancing Guyana’s efforts in meeting international commitments, pursuing responsible mining for Guyana, supporting policy development, continuing support for Guyana’s Monitoring, Reporting and Verification System ( MRVS), linking natural resource management with community development and cultivating a culture focused on the conservation and management of Guyana’s freshwater resources.

Both parties view monitoring impact as important and will consult regularly to track the progress of the agreed-upon activities. The outputs, outcomes and impacts of the MoU will be reviewed at semi annual meetings held between the two signatories.

The MoU will be valid for an initial period of two years with an option to renew after an evaluation is undertaken by MNR and CI- Guyana, the release said.

Trotman in his remarks said “The Ministry and by extension the Government of Guyana looks forward to continuing to enhance this constructive relationship in the interest of exploring, developing and sustaining Guyana’s patrimony; its natural resources and ensuring the green economy for all Guyanese”.

CI-Guyana Senior Technical Director, Curtis Bernard, also addressed the gathering and spoke of the need to secure Guyana’s natural heritage, the cornerstone of the country’s development and well-being.

“For more than two decades, CI- Guyana, through diverse partnerships, has helped design and implement solutions to secure Guyana’s natural heritage. We are committed to continuing this work. CI- Guyana’s partnership with the Ministry of Natural Resources and the agencies under its purview is critical to ensuring that Guyana’s natural resources are exploited responsibly and contributes to growth in the total wealth of Guyana,” Bernard was quoted as saying.

The Director added that the partnership has resulted in continued operation of Guyana’s state-of-theart MRVS system, and more recently working towards responsible mining for Guyana through the El Dorado Gold initiative.