President Granger engages Guyanese Diaspora in New York

President David Granger on Friday met with members of the Guyanese diaspora at the Guyana Mission in New York, where he engaged them on the Government’s push for a ‘green’ economy. The President also used the occasion to promote investment opportunities in the ‘green’ sector, which he said will bloom as the country continues to make headway globally in creating a ‘green’ footprint.

The President was accompanied by Foreign Affairs Minister Carl Greenidge, retired international diplomat, Sir Shridath Ramphal and Guyana’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Rudolph Michael Ten-Pow, among others.

Addressing those gathered, President Granger said that Guyana’s pursuit of a ‘green’ agenda and economy is simply not for ‘show’ neither is it mere ‘talk’, rather it is a plan of action that is necessary if the country and the wider world are to combat the climate change and global warming phenomena.

Guyana, he said, is not only one of the most beautiful and bountiful Caribbean countries, it has valuable resources, particularly its pristine, virtually untouched rainforests which forms part of the lungs of the earth. Guyana is an integral part of the global ‘green’ movement, he proclaimed.

The Head of State also said that evidence of Guyana’s role as an important partner in the global environmental movement can be seen in the agreements which have been brokered with the Kingdom of Norway, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the Federal Republic of Germany, the State of Japan and other states and international organisations for the protection of its forests. He noted too that these funding and partnerships will create opportunities for investments in the country, areas in which the diaspora can become involved.

He also noted that while Guyana will soon become an oil producing State and many believe that there is a conflict of interest in pursuing a ‘green’ agenda, the petroleum is simply a ‘bonus’ which can assist in financing projects and programmes, which will benefit the citizens, particularly the youth population.