Green State Strategy consultations commence in Essequibo
GSDS Stakeholder Management Coordinator Aretha Forde
GSDS Stakeholder Management Coordinator Aretha Forde

WITH a 20-year economic and social plan envisioned in the transition to a green economy, Guyana’s Green State Development Strategy (GSDS) consultation commenced at Anna Regina, Essequibo Coast on Thursday.

The consultation attracted wide stakeholder representation who gave their input on the sustainable development plan.

This surrounded discussions on the economy, society and the environment as factors that will guide Guyana during the transition to a green state.

GSDS Stakeholder Management Coordinator, Aretha Forde said the project aims to provide a strategy for Guyana’s economic, environmental and social development by diversifying the economy, reducing reliance on resource-intensive sectors and opening up new and sustainable income opportunities for citizens.

She explained that the main objectives of these consultations are to raise awareness about the development of Guyana’s State Development Strategy and to ensure that the people can contribute by identifying and prioritising the needs and expectations they have for their region.

“The inputs from these consultations will be used to influence what is submitted as the final strategy. During the sessions, participants will be encouraged to communicate their ideas and vision on how Guyana should be developed sustainably over a 15 to 20-year period,” Forde said.

The coordinator said the strategy will therefore focus on guiding Guyana down a path of development that delivers a clean and healthy environment that provides opportunities to earn a decent wage and enjoy standards of living that promote happy, healthy and wholesome individuals, families and communities.

A green and inclusive industrial transformation also requires two different but closely interlinked shifts, she said.

“The first is the transition to a more diversified economy that leans toward higher value added goods and services, greater resource productivity, improved environmental services and resilience to minimise vulnerability to external shocks.

These can include environmental degradation and climate change, which present further challenges to stable and inclusive growth. The second shift is structural in its approach to national development. Do-No-Harm approaches, participatory and inclusive processes and social cohesion principles will require both improvements to and a reduced reliance on traditional sectors, which act as the key drivers of this economic transformation whose ultimate goal is to address and redress all types of inequalities in Guyana and promote a peaceful and resilient society,” she said.

Consultations on GSDS will also be held in the hinterland regions from August 16 through to September 12, 2018.

Teams of experts from the Department of Environment and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), with assistance from the World Wildlife Fund Guianas (WWF), will be carrying out meetings in Regions One, Two, Seven, Eight, Nine and 10.

The communities identified for sessions with residents are Charity, Anna Regina, Bartica, Linden, Kwakwani, Kimbia, Moruca, Matthew’s Ridge, Mabaruma, Port Kaituma, Lethem, Karasabai, Annai, Aishalton, Shulinab, Mahdia, Kamarang, Paramakatoi and Kato.

Residents in the identified communities are urged to attend the consultations for clarity on any issue they may have and to share their views and expectations.

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