UK pledges more aid for Guyana - at Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebration
British High Commissioner Andrew Ayre shares a toast with Foreign Affairs Minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett to celebrate the Queen’s birthday and Diamond Jubilee on the throne as President Donald Ramotar and First Lady Deolatchmee look on.
The United Kingdom has promised more aid for Guyana, including spending millions of dollars to boost exports and boost two-way trade.
The announcement that the UK will set up a trade and investment office and take over the agriculture diversification project from the United States, came at an event last evening to celebrate the Queen’s birthday and her 60th year on the throne.
British High Commissioner Andrew Ayre said that the UK will spend 1.5 Million pounds to help boost export products in the agriculture, fisheries and horticulture sector. The project had initial funding from the United States Agency for International Development, but will be taken over by the UK from September.
Ayre announced that the High Commission in Georgetown will be setting up a Trade and Investment office to help deepen economic links in a more structured and systematic way by enhancing two-way trade and investment flows.
He said the office would cover both Guyana and Suriname and represents a significant investment in both countries at a time of continued austerity in the UK.
President Donald Ramotar, who attended the celebrations with First Lady Deolatchmee, welcomed the announcements. He called for the Commonwealth, which the Queen heads, to support the Iwokrama International Centre.
Ayre said that the Queen was pleased that her son, Prince Charles, was the patron of Iwokrama. The envoy himself hailed Iwokrama as having real value on the global stage as a living laboratory, “helping us to understand the threats and opportunities posed by climate change and how sustainable development is a key conservation strategy.”
“I applaud President Ramotar’s ongoing commitment to the Centre whilst acknowledging that the wider international community needs to do more to support and promote this valuable global resource,” Ayre stated. He said that he will continue to work with the British government and the Commonwealth to deliver this.
President Ramotar thanked the Commonwealth for its support of Iwokrama, but urged for much more to be done. He said Guyana would be showcasing its sustainable development initiatives at the Rio+20 meeting in Rio de Janeiro later this month.
Ramotar also thanked the British for their help in the search for oil offshore Guyana.
The High Commissioner said that increasing prosperity in Guyana has resulted in opportunities for UK companies, be there those already operating such as Mott Macdonald, Tullow Oil and Petropavlosk, or for those who wish to enter the market but have not yet done so.
President Ramotar welcomed the fact the Caribbean arm of the British government’s Department for International Development has increased by 50% the amount of money the UK will spend in the region on a range of development issues, including tackling the effects of climate change, strengthening security in vulnerable communities, and promoting renewable energy.
