Guyana should build diplomatic support for its rainforest proposal

http://www.stabroeknews.com/index.pl/article?id=56532260

Guyana should build diplomatic support for its rainforest proposal
Stabroek News, Wednesday, October 31st 2007

Dear Editor,

I read with great interest the reports in the media on the very
eye-catching proposal concerning Guyana's rainforests made by President
Jagdeo at the opening of the Commonwealth Finance Ministers Meeting.
While I was thinking about the President's proposal two issues came to
mind.

The first was my recollection that President Cheddi Jagan had in 1996
requested President Carter to assist Guyana in the establishment of a
Guyana Rainforest Foundation. I believe that agreement was reached for
the Carter Center to assist Guyana in developing the proposal. I
understand that one of the principles which inspired Dr. Jagan's
proposal was that in return for conserving some forest tracts to
prevent the build-up of greenhouse gases and help stabilise climate,
Guyana would be compensated by external donors.

What has been the fate of Dr. Jagan's proposal? How was it followed up
and with what results? President Jagdeo's proposal appears to go beyond
Dr. Jagan's in that while the latter spoke to foregoing the
exploitation of "tracts of forest" the former seems to refer to all the
forests.

But be that as it may. To the extent that President Jagdeo's proposal
is intended to address a clear deficiency in the Kyoto Protocol i.e the
granting of compensation to countries for keeping standing forests
intact, much action has to be taken by Guyana.

This brings me to the second issue which is the need to formulate a
strategy, essentially diplomatic, to achieve the President's objective.
I note from reports in the media that the matter will be raised at the
Commonwealth Heads of Government Con-ference in Uganda and that Guyana
will be represented at the Climate Change Con-ference in Bali,
Indonesia in December. These are good and necessary steps. But are they
sufficient to achieve success? I believe that Guyana should undertake a
carefully structured and sustained diplomatic effort to attract support
and to build solidarity alliances. I can think of approaches to
Caricom, the Association of Caribbean States, Amazonian countries
through ACTO, the RIO group, AOSIS, and the Group of 77, as well as
selected countries from these and other groupings and areas.

An indispensable requirement however would be a re-equipped and
re-energised Foreign Affairs Establish-ment. Guyana's interests
internationally cannot be properly secured so long as the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs remains hobbled.

Yours faithfully,

Rashleigh E Jackson