Consultations on national Low Carbon Development Strategy set to begin June 8th

Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) is scheduled to be launched on June 8 and last Friday President Bharrat Jagdeo met with government representatives, NGOs, and Norwegian Government representatives and their local counterparts to finalize the preparations.

The strategy will provide the broad framework of Guyana’s response to climate change and will hinge in particular on Guyana deploying its forests to mitigate global climate change, according to Shyam Nokta, Head of the Climate Change Unit.

The primary focus of the strategy will be on investments in low carbon economic infrastructure and in high-potential low-carbon sectors; expanding access to services and new economic opportunities for indigenous and forest communities and transforming the village economy. It will also focus on improving social services and economic opportunities for the wider Guyanese population and investments in climate change adaptation infrastructure.

The strategy will be launched with a stakeholder forum at the Guyana International Conference Centre. Stakeholders will include members of the National Assembly, representatives of indigenous and forest communities, mining and forestry, and major private sector organizations, the labour movement and local and international NGOs.
Sub-national consultations will follow and a national awareness campaign utilizing print and electronic media including television programmes, interviews and discussions will target the general public as well as schools.

Meanwhile, consultations will be held in Regions One, Seven, Eight, Nine and Ten as well as on the coast, in Essequibo and Berbice, covering a three-month period.In addition, a question and answer booklet is being prepared to capture the essence of the strategy in language suitable for the general public as well as provide responses and clarifications on a number of frequently asked questions regarding climate change, Guyana’s response and deployment of its forests towards addressing global climate change.

The strategy will then be tabled in the National Assembly for debate and approval and will be presented at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change meeting to be held in Copenhagen, Denmark in December.