Suriname president calls for 'unequivocal incentives' to preserve rainforests
|
| Published on Thursday, December 17, 2009 |
Email To Friend Print Version |
By Ivan Cairo
PARAMARIBO, Suriname -- Suriname’s president Ronald Venetiaan at the UN Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen, Denmark, Wednesday, said that it is imperative that countries with a high forest cover and a low deforestation rate, so-called HFLD countries, be provided with unequivocal incentives to continue to maintain their forests.
 |
| Suriname President Ronald Venetiaan. AFP PHOTO |
He further noted that the world stands at a crossroads, in search of robust and sustainable solutions which will ensure the very existence of humankind.
“Suriname, therefore, appeals to all to continue working towards an internationally legally binding instrument that builds upon and preserves the integrity of the Kyoto Protocol, the Bali Action Plan and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. One that addresses climate change impacts with the urgency and comprehensiveness that are consistent with the scale and seriousness of the threat that we are facing,” Venetiaan noted.
According to the Head of State, climate change has become a major - if not the defining - issue of the 21st century; a cross-cutting development issue, affecting all peoples, countries, regions and continents.
Suriname is convinced, Venetiaan said, that in current global climate regime, the indispensable role of intact natural forests as carbon sinks and a source of other environmental services must not be disregarded.
“We emphatically endorse the inclusion of intact forests and the enhancement of carbon reservoirs in a future REDD-plus regime, as part of the Copenhagen outcome and of any post-Kyoto arrangement. It is imperative that HFDL receive incentives to preserve their forest," he said.
Suriname is part of the Amazon rainforest region, with its large tracts of intact natural tropical forests, and have already protected thirteen percent of its territory and through longstanding and consistent conservation policy, Suriname has forest cover of over ninety percent and a minimal deforestation rate.
“This makes Suriname stand out, even among the countries with a high forest cover and a low deforestation rate,” the Head of State noted.
He went on by saying that, in spite of the conspicuous role Suriname’s forests play in relation to global climate change, it is one of the most vulnerable countries as far as the impact of climate change is concerned.
Suriname is a low-lying coastal state, which is highly susceptible to the effects of climate change. A World Bank study concluded that Suriname is the most vulnerable country in Latin America and the Caribbean regarding the impact of sea level rising. The study concluded that, with a sea level rise of one meter, Suriname’s socio-economic development will be severely impacted because seventy percent of its population and its most fertile agricultural lands lie in this low coastal zone.
Also important, a unique eco-system in the coastal zone of Suriname will vanish, Venetiaan added.
Meanwhile, the government has formulated a Climate Action Plan, in which the areas for adaptation and mitigation measures were identified. To implement these measures substantial financial and technical assistance for an all-encompassing coastal zone management plan, which will enable effective long-term adaptation and mitigation, is necessary.
The government recently launched its ‘Suriname Green Vision and Strategy’, which will be the basis for Suriname’s long-term, low-carbon economic development plan.
“This green development plan will be our contribution to mitigation of global climate change and gradual adaptation of eco-systems, with due respect for the traditional, current and future role of women, farmers, young people, indigenous and forest-dependent communities,” the government leader noted.
He further argued that, despite the national endeavours and commitment, significant results will depend on the availability of adequate, predictable and sustainable financial and technical resources, the strengthening of institutional capacity, and the transfer of environmentally sound technology.
Therefore, support for actions regarding adaptation and mitigation in developing countries needs to be given high priority, Venetian warned. According to him, developed countries and multilateral partners have a particular role to fulfill in this regard.
“In my view, we must adhere to the principle of ‘common but differentiated responsibilities,’, he stated.
Suriname remains committed. he said, to collaborating more intensively in South-South cooperation, as well as in North-South cooperation to complement national, regional and international efforts to combat the adverse impacts of climate change. | | | | Reads : 1288 | | | |
|
|
