‘Today, we declare our love to our forests and ecosystems’
By Desmond Brown
PARAMARIBO, Feb. 15, 2019 (IPS)
— High Forest Cover and Low Deforestation
(HFLD) nations ended a major
conference in Suriname on Thursday,
with the Krutu of Paramaribo Joint
Declaration on HFLD Climate Finance
Mobilisation.
Krutu—an indigenous Surinamese
word—means a gathering of significance
or a gathering of high dignitaries,
resulting in something that is
workable.
“It is with great joy that I announce
the adoption of the Krutu of Paramaribo
Joint Declaration on HFLD Climate
Finance Mobilisation,” Suriname’s President
Desiré Delano Bouterse said.
“The adoption of this document
is important to jointly continue our
efforts and focus on practical results, as
it enables us to increase our cooperation
at relevant international and multilateral
mechanisms.”
In the declaration, HFLD nations
made several pledges, among them:
to raise international recognition of
the significant contribution that HFLD
developing countries provide to the
global response to climate change by
enabling their forests to serve as vital
carbon sinks, and look to the international
community to provide adequate
financial support to help maintain this
treasure.
For HFLD developing countries,
nature and development are intrinsically
connected, Bouterse said, adding
they were all confronted with the
threats from unsustainable activities,
while attempting to plan a sustainable
development.
Bouterse said the challenge for these
nations had been to find a development
Vice President of Suriname, Michael Ashwin Adhin, addressed delegates during the opening of the conference of
a major international conference on climate fi nancing for High-Forest Cover, Low-Deforestation (HFLD) countries.
Inter Press Service / Desmond Brown
model that balances their national
interests while continuing to deliver
eco-services to the world.
“I look forward to a united voice
and innovative models that will shape
our mutual interests. Suriname is honoured
to have received the mandate to
bring the HFLD developing countries’
effort to the international fora. We
take this assignment very seriously and
pledge our dedication,” the Suriname
president said.
“We, as HFLD developing countries,
have set ourselves on a new path. We
offer to all of our friends and collaborators
the Krutu of Paramaribo to lead
the way.”
Saving a Life EVERY 11 MINUTES
Caribbean L 34 ife, Feb. 22–28, 2019 BQ
Suriname was the first country that
reserved vast amount of its land mass—
11 percent—for conservation purposes,
when it established the Central Suriname
Nature Reserve in 1998.
Bouterse said at that time Suriname
had manoeuvred itself into a difficult
position because almost half of its land
was handed over to logging companies
in the early 90s.
However, he said that the strategic
establishment of the Central Suriname
Nature Reserve, with a total area of 1.6
million hectares, put an immediate halt
to these activities.
“This decision was specifically taken
for protection reasons. A decision without
even having the foresight of what
this Nature Reserve’s intrinsic value
would be in the years to come,” he
said.
“Now, 20 years later, we owe it to
ourselves to evaluate and question the
impacts of this decision. Are the ecosystems
in the Nature Reserve intact or
enhanced as originally intended?
“Do the conservation efforts contribute
to our economic development? Do
we invest enough in our own capacity
to be a player on the world environment
stage? Do we make sufficient
use of available multilateral funds and
financial mechanisms? And, to what
extent does our fellow Surinamese man
or woman benefit from having a Nature
Reserve that comprises 11 percent of
their land?”
Meanwhile, Bouterse said Suriname
will improve its legislation, align policies
to their aspirations and improve
even further.
“It is with great satisfaction that I
announce that Suriname has deposited
the instrument of ratification to the
Paris Agreement on Feb. 13. We look to
the international community to assist
us with appropriate financial instruments,
technology and training, for
only together we can attain our common
objectives.”
With the Declaration being adopted
on Valentine’s Day, Panama’s Vice Minister
for the Ministry of Environment
Yamil Sanchez said, “Today we declare
our love to our forests and ecosystems.”
Suriname’s Minister for Foreign
Affairs Yldiz Deborah Pollack-Beighle
said the declaration represents a commitment
that HFLD nations no longer
will be the ones producing a solution
to climate change and global warming
without the required financial assistance.
“The conversation needs to change,
and it should be that we should be paid
for maintain or our forests,” Pollack-
Beighle told IPS.
“It was not an easy conversation,
but we’ve had a breakthrough and the
breakthrough resulted in the fact that
we will be leaving this conference with
this document.”
She said at the end of the day, it’s the
people of HFLD nations that will benefit
from the three days of talks.
The Krutu Declaration will result
in tangible benefits for the communities
that are living and are resident in
these forested areas, Pollack-Beighle
said, adding that the countries as a
whole will also benefit.
“For Suriname, we need to arrive
at the point where we will no longer
have to beg for the fact that we have
presented the world with a solution,
but we will be sought out and provided
with opportunities that are existing,”
she said.
“We are leaving here with a commitment
that needs to translate itself in
such a way that … we see significant
changes immediately after this conference.
“Suriname has been given the role
of advocate and champion to make sure
that this declaration finds its way at
the highest level of the global agenda,
bilateral agendas, but also the regional
agenda,” Pollack-Beighle added.
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