Above: Minister Henri Djombo, joined by Environment Minister Robert Persaud and President Donald Ramotar (right)

By the Caribbean Journal staff

With the high-profile Rio+20 Summit a month away, Guyana’s President, Donald Ramotar, held talks this week with Congo’s Environment Minister, Henri Djmobo, following discussions between the two states last year.

Djombo also met with Ramotar’s predecessor, Bharrat Jagdeo, who is currently a roving ambassador to the so-called Three Basins, which include the Congo, the Amazon and the South East Asian forest basins.

In 2011, Guyana, along with Congo and Boreno-Mekong signed a declaration at a summit for rainforest countries in Brazzaville which evolved into the Three Basin Initiative, a plan aiming to protect forests in the three countries.

Djombo visited Guyana twice in 2011 on a fact-finding mission, particularly in the area of forestry. He has been the country’s Minister of the Forest Economy since 1997

On this most recent visit, the Minister learned more about Guyana’s Low-Carbon Development Strategy model, with the guidance of Guyana’s Ministry of Agriculture and the Guyana Forestry Commission.

The Rio summit, which begins June 20, will focus on green economies in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication.

Ramotar has called for the international community to make the “fundamental sustainable development challenges” crucial to creating these kinds of green economies a priority at the conference.

The visit follows a Congolese delegation to Guyana in March led by Bruno Itoua, Congo’s Minister of Scientific Research.