Even as climate change is addressed at the national level as a part of Guyana’s ‘green’ development policy position, communities must also be equipped with the necessary tools, training and knowledge since this is where the effects are most felt. This assertion was made by Minister of State, Mr. Joseph Harmon.
Minister of State, Mr. Joseph Harmon.
The Minister was at the time delivering the feature address at the opening ceremony of the United Nations Environment (UN Environment) Regional Capacity Building Workshop on Supporting Countries to advance their National Adaptation Plan (NAP), which was held yesterday morning at the Ramada Princess Hotel.
Minister Harmon directed his remarks to Permanent Secretaries from the various Ministries and representatives from Climate Change focused-agencies across the Caribbean. He said, “We must ensure that we integrate climate risks and adaptation measures not only in development plans for our economic sectors, but also facilitate decentralisation from national to our regional and community level plans, for resilient communities and infrastructure.”
The Minister of State said that Guyana is considered particularly vulnerable to climate change. He noted that six of the country’s 10 administrative regions are within the low coastal plain, which in some areas is more than one metre below mean high tide levels. Further, he noted that a significant percentage of housing settlements, infrastructure and much of the main economic activity, including the agricultural sector, are found on the coast.
Government, Minister Harmon added, recognises the importance of reducing the country’s risks and increasing its resilience to climate change.
A section of the participants.
The ongoing workshop is built within the joint UN Environment – United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) National Adaptation Plan – Global Support Programme (NAP-GSP) with the support of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and includes participants from Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, UN Environment, UNDP, the Pan American Health Organisation/ World Health Organisation (PAHO/WHO) and other partner organisations.