CREATING INCENTIVES TO AVOID DEFORESTATION

I hope that those who read this paper will see it for what it is – a sincere attempt to reconcile the interests of countries such as mine and those of the wider world. It is not in any way a threat, or a suggestion that we will deliberately destroy our forest if the world does not pay us. Guyana has one of the lowest deforestation rates in the world and we want this to continue. But in common with other rainforest countries, we face immense development challenges. We need better schools and hospitals, teachers and doctors, economic opportunities and jobs for our citizens. Developing our economy to provide resources to fund these and many other social and economic needs has to be a responsible Government’s top priority. If we are to reconcile this with the world’s need for forests to be kept intact, we must find a way to make national development and avoiding deforestation complementary, not competing, objectives. This paper is focused on how the UNFCCC process can create the incentives to make this possible, but that is only part of a solution. To be sustainable in the long term, any measures to address deforestation must have the support of those who live in, and depend on, the forest. Throughout the first half of 2009, all our people will have the opportunity to participate in a nation-wide conversation on how Guyana can play its part. As negotiators within the UNFCCC process know all too well, the achievement of climate change goals can often fall victim to seemingly intractable issues. I hope that this paper will help to lift our sights above these issues, create clarity on the solution space for avoiding deforestation and move the world one step closer towards a global deal that is timely, effective and fair.