Carbon credit payments: There are the doers versus the talkers – Ali on APNU/AFC criticisms of funds to Amerindians

…lambasts Opposition for “hypocrisy”, poor track record in hinterland investments

Despite scrapping the Low Carbon Development Strategy during their time in office, the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and Alliance For Change (AFC) are now critical of the distribution of 15 per cent of the first set of carbon credit payments to Amerindian communities earned from the LCDS.
In a video broadcast on Sunday, President Dr Irfaan Ali lambasted the now Opposition parties for their “hypocrisy” and noted that Guyana, like any other country, has “the doers and the talkers”. According to the President, his Government will continue to count itself among the doers.
“In every country there are the doers and the talkers. There are the builders and the destroyers. But if we allow the falsehood to ever take root in any society, then we will build a country and society that is not built on the truth. I saw the issue of the 15 per cent from the Hess Carbon Credit agreement that is going to the Amerindian communities.”

“And I saw the APNU/AFC calling for it to be more. We have always consistently given the Amerindian people of Guyana more. But I find it very hypocritical. And I guess it’s the political nature of the people we’re dealing with. The opportunistic nature,” he said.
President Ali cited the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) that earned revenue under the Norway agreement. According to the President, the former APNU/AFC Government “tossed aside” the agreement. They then implemented one of their own, a Green State Development Strategy (GSDS) which did not earn money for Guyana.
This left the responsibility on the PPP/C Government, after it entered office in 2020, to seek to backdate payments for carbon services to cover the APNU/AFC years, when it signed a US$753 million agreement with Hess Corporation.
“This credit, that we sold, included legacy credits. That is credit that was available for the period of time they tossed aside the LCDS. Where was the commitment then? That is not all. They would want us to forget that this very APNU/AFC Government is the Government that took away more than 2000 CSO jobs. That took away almost $4 billion from our Amerindian people. It is this Government that restored that $4 billion back to Amerindian people and Amerindian communities,” the President said.
President Ali gave other examples, such as the former APNU/AFC Government’s removal of the “Because We Care” cash grant for school children. Even more, he noted that the former Government failed to build any secondary schools in Amerindian communities during their five years in office. He noted that his Government is fixing that.
“We came back into Government and found all the tractors, all the vehicles, equipment we had given to the Amerindian communities. All in disrepair. Non-functional. We have replaced and bought new tractors for every community. And this is aside from the 15 per cent that is going directly to the Amerindian people. Where were all those voices that so love our Amerindian brothers and sisters? When this great injustice was done?”
“By the way they speak about land? Not a single new title was processed under the APNU/AFC Government. The four or so titles that were handed out, were processed under the People’s Progressive Party/Civic Government. And outside of this 15 per cent, the hinterland and riverine communities continue to benefit from budgetary allocations.”
Ali noted that even as global economic conditions threaten vulnerable states, Guyanese can “rest assured, we are the doers. We will work hard. We’re the builders. We will continue to build. As together, we build a Guyana that is strong, secure and prosperous.”
Only recently, 240 Indigenous community bodies received payments ranging from $10 million to $35 million, courtesy of the first set of payments from the sale of Guyana’s forest carbon to Hess Corporation.
A total of $4.7 billion (US$22 million), which is 15 per cent of US$150 million, is earmarked for distribution to these villages. In fact, this number may increase as other agreements for the sale of the remainder of Guyana’s credits are concluded.
The first tranche of money comes from Guyana’s carbon credit sales to Hess Corporation, as per the 10-year agreement signed last year for the purchase of 37.5 million credits at US$750 million. Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo has said that the Indigenous communities will get 15 per cent, which they will spend according to their village development plans.
It has been revealed that the total initial money received from the carbon credit agreement with Hess totalled US$150 million by the end of 2023 – with US$112.5 million already received and a further US$37.5 million to come in July 2023. (G3)