Minister Bharat meets with Diplomatic Corp to discuss Guyana’s preservation of natural resources

Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat attended at an event hosted by the Ambassador of the Delegation of the European Union to the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, Rene van Nes earlier today.

The Minister gave a presentation to the Diplomatic Corp of Guyana, on balancing the extraction of natural resources with preservation of our environment.

Guyana, a carbon negative country, and the EU signed the Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) in December 2022.

In January 2023, the VPA was ratified by EU Parliament and also laid in the National Assembly of Guyana.

This has now paved the way for the Implementation Phase of the VPA. This VPA builds on the concept of sustainability and legal origin of Forest Products.

It also supports good environmental, social and governance standards. A VPA FLEGT license will be a gateway to access lucrative EU and other markets for Guyana’s Timber.

During the Minister’s presentation, he discussed various aspects of the sector, inclusive of renewable resources and sustainable forestry management.

Minister Bharrat also presented on the gas to energy project which will reduce electricity cost by 50 percent and create a path for increased manufacturing of products locally.

He highlighted the work of the Guyana Forestry Commission and the contribution to the preservation of our forests by the indigenous people of Guyana.