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UN to scale up security, renewable energy projects
- First meeting of UN regional heads ends in Georgetown
'It is wrong to continue with a system that gives incentives for
reforestation but doesn't give incentives to maintain forests' - Top UN
official
By Neil Marks
THE United Nations (UN) system is developing a security project here focused
on employment for youth and peace building and is also looking to expand
projects in renewable energy and make sure Guyana's voice is heard in the
global climate change debate.
<http://www.guyanachronicle.com
UN Assistant Secretary General Rebeca Grynspan speaks at a press conference
yesterday at the end of a meeting between regional heads of UN organisations
in the Caribbean and Latin America. Also at the head table, from left are
Director of the Caribbean sub-headquarters of the Economic Commission for
Latin America and the Caribbean Mr. Neil Pierre, Regional Director of United
National Children's Fund Mr. Nils Kastberg, Caribbean representative of the
United Nations Population Fund Mr. Harold Robinson, and head of the UN
system in Georgetown Mr. Aboubacry Tall.
The commitments came following an unprecedented meeting in Georgetown
between a twenty-member high level UN team and the government.
According to UN Assistant Secretary General Rebeca Grynspan, it was the
first time that the regional heads of the various UN programmes for the
Caribbean and Latin America were meeting together. The team comprised
fifteen regional directors and five deputy directors.
Head of the UN system here, Mr. Aboubacry Tall, said the UN's security
project would be complementary to the Citizens Security Programme and the
Security Sector Reform Project in efforts to maintain and preserve "peace
and civility."
He said the project, which is being developed with the government and civil
society, is geared towards three areas: skills training, entrepreneurship
development, employment opportunities for youths -- both at the community
and national level; enhancing the level of dialogue and trust within
communities; and supporting greater responsiveness of national institutions
in a way that makes the citizens feel more included.
Grynspan added that "in the exchange of views with the President, he
highlighted very strongly the importance of youth and youth employment and
youth training as very important centre for social policy and also in the
fight against crime."
In the area of renewable energy, she said that the UN system is committed to
expand on its small projects here.
"We think the UN system can do a lot to mobilize resources towards that goal
(finding renewable energy sources) in Guyana," she said at a press
conference held at the office of the United Nations Development Programme
(UNDP), Brickdam, Georgetown.
She said, in particular, the UN is looking at alternative energy projects
for isolated communities and also to avoid carbon emissions through the use
of fossil fuels.
Guyana is 100 per cent dependent on imported fossil fuels for
transportation. In 2005, the government spent US$220M on fuel imports, with
gasoline imports alone adding up to nine per cent of Gross Domestic Product.
In addition, she said the UN has made a commitment to ensure that Guyana's
voice is heard in the international climate change debate.
She supported Guyana's position that the post-Kyoto environmental compact to
offer support to countries that have preserved their forests.
"It is wrong to continue with a system that gives incentives for
reforestation but doesn't give incentives to maintain forests," Grynspan
declared.
She said the UN has offered to support Guyana's participation in the
international process, "for the voice of Guyana to be heard and to liaise
with the rest of the countries that take this view."
President Jagdeo has pledged to preserve the nation's pristine rainforest -
the size of England - if he gets partners willing to pay in the interest of
fighting further changes in the world's climate.
"We stand ready to work with any bilateral or commercial partner who shares
our vision of sustainable development where our long established and world
leading commitment to sustaining our forest can be matched by economic
rewards which support our national development efforts...," Mr. Jagdeo said
last October at a meeting of Commonwealth finance ministers
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