Norway to provide additional support to HFLD countries

The Kingdom of Norway on Wednesday announced that it will provide additional support to High Forest Cover countries, including Guyana, at the Climate Finance Roundtable of the High Forest Cover Low Deforestation (HFLD) Conference held in Paramaribo, Suriname.

Special Envoy for Climate and Forest, Norwegian Embassy in Brasilia, Brazil, Eirik Brum Sorlie with Minister of State Joseph Harmon

The announcement was made during a presentation by Special Envoy for Climate and Forest, Embassy of Norway in Brasilia, Brazil, Eirik Brun Sorlie, who represented that country’s Environment Minister.
According to the Ministry of the Presidency, Minister of State Joseph Harmon, within whose purview the Department of Environment and Office of Climate Change falls, described the announcement as good news for Guyana, noting that it is timely as Guyana is pursuing its Green State Development Strategy (GSDS).
“What he did in fact say in the general meeting this morning is that the Parliament of Norway has agreed to an extension of bilateral arrangements up to 2030 and that covers the agreement between Guyana and Norway. He said that they are looking at strengthening the partnership between us and them. So it was a very fruitful encounter and I am confident that the Norwegians want to be a part of our fight against climate change and protection of our forests and want to encourage us down that path. So we are very happy to hear that because we are currently in discussions with the Kingdom of Norway for an extension of the agreement between the two countries,” Minister Harmon is quoted as saying. Sorlie visited Guyana on Tuesday where he met the Director of the Department of Energy, Dr Mark Bynoe and officials of the Guyana Forestry Commission.
Meanwhile, during the roundtable on Wednesday morning, Minister Harmon said the world must begin to recognise the important role HFLD countries play in mitigating the effects of global warming and climate change, not just for its citizens but globally. He advocated for more resources to be made available to these countries so that they can continue the protection and preservation of the forests.