Jagdeo appointed first tropical rainforest goodwill ambassador

GEORGETOWN (CMC):

President Bharrat Jagdeo has been named by leaders of the Amazonian, Congo and Borneo-Mekong forests as the world's first goodwill ambassador for tropical rainforests.

The position is not full-time and will take effect when Jagdeo demits office after general and regional elections, a government statement said.

He was put forward as Goodwill Ambassador at the Heads of States and Government conference on the three Tropical Forest Basins of the World, which ended Friday in the Republic of Congo. Host President Dennis Sasso Nguesso, who made the proposal, said it was in recognition of Jadgeo's "global leadership on forest and climate-change issues".

Guyana's Low Carbon Development Strategy also received high praise at the forum and its efforts in the international arena to combat climate change were recognised.

The country has offered to work with other nations in their efforts to deal with climate change.

The Amazon, of which Guyana is part, Congo, and Borneo-Mekong - three tropical forest basins of the world - account for 80 per cent of the world's tropical forests and two-thirds of terrestrial biodiversity. These basins are not only important to the extensive forest and biodiversity resources that they hold, but also importantly recognised as a source of livelihood of more than one billion people.

The leaders of those countries met in the Republic of Congo to share solutions to save their forests and support the fight against the devastating consequences of climate change.

"The conclusion of the meeting revealed progress toward sustainable management and restoration of forests through an agreement on a joint declaration," the statement from the Government Information Agency said.