Guyana’s pristine forest coverage and commitment to global climate efforts have once again garnered international praise, with former Norwegian Minister of Climate and the Environment, Erik Solheim, lauding the nation’s achievements during a visit to several Amerindian communities on Monday. Solheim, who also served as Norway’s Minister of International Affairs, commended Guyana’s dedication to forest conservation and sustainable development, highlighting the significant role indigenous groups have played in preserving the environment.
“No nation in the entire world has protected its rainforest as fantastic as Guyana. This greatness does not come by itself; it comes by hard work by the Government of Guyana and all the leaders here, most of them from indigenous groups,” Solheim remarked.
Solheim’s visit follows a longstanding partnership between Guyana and Norway, which began with the signing of a historic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in November 2009 between former President Bharrat Jagdeo and Solheim. This agreement marked the first of its kind, with Norway committing up to $250 million by 2015 to support Guyana’s efforts to reduce deforestation. To date, Guyana has earned $212.6 million from the partnership, which has been invested in renewable energy, climate change adaptation, land titling for Amerindian communities, and job creation initiatives, including the expansion of information and communication technology (ICT) systems in the hinterland.
Fifteen years on, Solheim expressed admiration for the progress Guyana has made, noting that development has not come at the expense of forest preservation. “People cannot encroach upon the forest… There must be livelihoods. The money has been used to build community centres, improve water management, and promote ecotourism, which brings income and jobs to this part of Guyana,” Solheim said, calling Guyana’s strategy a global success story.
Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat, reaffirmed the government’s commitment to enhancing the livelihoods of indigenous communities through climate-smart initiatives. He pointed to improvements in communication infrastructure in the hinterland, which now connects Amerindian communities with the coast and offers access to government programs such as the GOAL scholarships. “We are building new hubs with improved bandwidth so that the people in the hinterland can benefit from these programs,” Bharrat stated.
In 2022, Guyana further cemented its position as a leader in climate finance by establishing a carbon credit agreement with Hess Corporation, valued at a minimum of $750 million over a decade. As part of this agreement, 15% of the revenue has been allocated to Amerindian communities, resulting in $4.7 billion distributed in 2023. With increasing revenue expected in 2024, the government has revised the share for Amerindians to 26.5%, amounting to $23.2 million. Minister Bharrat encouraged communities to invest these funds in sustainable projects that would generate employment and long-term benefits.
