Guyana and EU Sign Agreement to Strengthen Forest Governance

GEORGETOWN, Guyana – Guyana will receive increase financial resources from the European Union after signing a new agreement with the European Union (EU) under its Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) which is regarded as a critical component of the Forest Law and Enforcement Governance and Trade (FLEGT) action plan.

Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat and Ambassador of the European Union to Guyana, Rene Van Nes at the signingNatural Resources Minister Vickram Bharrat in signing the agreement during the second Joint Monitoring and Review Committee (JMRC) meeting, spoke of the government’s continued commitment to the VPA, saying it regards it has provided great benefit to the country.

“The JMRC is the body that is ultimately responsible for the way in which the agreement is implemented. Since it provides key oversight in the process.”

Bharrat explained that although another document was signed and ratified under the VPA, both the government and the relevant stakeholders will still have to ensure that momentum is maintained during the agreement’s implementation phase.

“The current timeline of the joint implementation framework developed by the parties identifies critical activities in the success of the issuance of the license. These timelines need to be adhered to. This may require greater effort from all sides,” he said, urging the stakeholders to work together to operationalise the Guyana Timber Legality Assurance System (GTLAS) which is considered to be the heart of the VPA.

Additionally, Bharrat said the government is committed to enforcing legal and sustainable forest practices and as a result, considers the FLEGT VPA critical to the development of the forestry sector.

The EU Ambassador to Guyana, Rene Van Nes, said that the new agreement will result in increased resources to Guyana.

“As a result of the very good progress that you are making on the implementation of the VPA, it was decided to give you more resources. So, in the past, it was agreed that you would get two and a half million euros for this, this has actually been increased, you will get $3.8 million euros (One Euro=US$1.29 cents),” Van Nes said.

The diplomat said that said that the agreement will allow Guyana and its local counterparts to other resources that will be provided by the EU such as an Information Technology system, which will allow persons within the forestry sector to monitor online forestry procedures.

The VPA would ensure that timber from Guyana is EU-certified in a manner that follows best practices in sustainable forest management. Talks on the FLEGT VPA began in 2009 with formal negotiations made in 2012 and eventually saw ratification and a formal signing being done in early 2023.