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saturday, august 31, 2013 | guyanatimesGY.com

Caribbean cluster project to boost forestry sector

Natural resources minister meets with Guyana-Norway verification team

uyana is seeking to use grant resources of US$500,000 from Compete Caribbean Cluster Project to improve the competitiveness of the forestry industry. A consultant from the project is in Guyana, working with the key stakeholders to identify initiatives in which this money should be invested, the Government Information Agency (GINA) reported. The consultant, Lars Soderstrom, together with some key industry stakeholders Friday met with Natural Resources and Environment Minister Robert Persaud at his office, to provide an update as it relates to Soderstrom’s discussions over the past weeks with the forestry communities and stakeholders, with regards to mechanisms that must be supported to make the industry competitive. Following the meeting, the minister spoke with GINA. He stated that the sector applied for, and was successful in tapping US$500,000 in grants for priority initiatives to increase the competitiveness of the forestry sector in the short, medium and long term. “What we have done is to listen to the consultant, some of his suggestions based on consultations he would have had, and we are very close to the point where we have identified some key interventions that we need to support, interventions that have been made or new initiatives,” he explained. “We recognise that the forestry sector can do better – it can be much more competitive, but it had some perennial challenges, challenges in terms of access to capital, infrastructure, high cost of energy and that which restrict value-added, better skills, better marketing… in terms of addressing those, the study and the work being done on this proj-

uyana is currently preparing to receive its latest tranche of payment from Norway for maintaining its forest, as the performancebased audit to facilitate the payment is ongoing. Natural Resources and Environment Minister Robert Persaud was on Friday brought up to speed on this audit, following a briefing session, with representatives from the GuyanaNorway Independent Verification Mission for REDD+ Enabling Action and the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC). In November 2009, Former President Bharrat Jagdeo and former Norwegian Environment and International Development Minister Erik Solheim signed a Memorandum of Understanding, in which

Natural Resources and Environment Minister Robert Persaud with the consultant from Compete Caribbean Project, Lars Soderstrom and some key industry stakeholders in the forestry sector

ect would identify some of the issues that we have to tackle in terms of becoming a lot more competitive,” the minister said.

Capacity building

He said that a lot of emphasis will be placed on training, capacity building, better marketing, and widening the product range so as to increase value and competitiveness and outputs. Focus will be on the long-term activities that the forestry sector can engage in to improve efficiency, recovery and ensure the sector makes not only a greater contribution to the national economy but has increased profitability for forest communities, and operators. Soderstrom had discussions with the Amerindian community, forestry groups and the Forestry Products Association. Minister Persaud explained that he brought together for the meeting some of the persons with whom discussions were held so as to develop consensus on some of the views that were put to the consultant.

“We spoke very frankly and very openly on what we thought are some of the key issues and we seem to be heading in a direction whereby these interventions would lead to a much more competitive forestry sector,” he said. Meanwhile, Soderstrom expressed pleasure in working with the industry. He said, “Guyana here, the industry has an opportunity to grow and be more profitable.” “Hopefully, the Compete Caribbean programme can be the catalyst to bring in some investments and new ideas to the country so that we can improve competitiveness and create new jobs and investment.” The objective of the Compete Caribbean Cluster Project is to enhance the competitiveness of the productive sector by supporting clusters and value chains to compete in regional and global markets. As part of the project cluster, operations in the Caribbean are invited to apply for funding of up to US$500,000 for the development of a productive sector.

Norway committed to provide to Guyana up to US$250 million by 2015 for avoiding deforestation, once certain performance indicators are met. The payments are made based on Guyana’s annual progress reports. The Office of Climate Change (OCC) and GFC are the two agencies responsible for preparing the reports. During the session, Minister Persaud also provided an update on the progress of the Land Use Plan, the Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative, and the mechanism for reducing degradation. This will be the fourth tranche of payment that Guyana will receive from Norway. The Government Information Agency (GINA) said it has already received payments totalling US$115 million.

Two critically injured as powerful storm rakes Chicago area

wo people were critically injured Friday when a strong line of storms raked the Chicago area, bringing down trees and power lines, knocking out power to thousands, and delaying the travel of thousands of commuters heading into a busy holiday weekend. In one incident, a woman sitting on a couch was injured when the roof collapsed on her. The building she was in, on the 1100 block of North Ashland Avenue, was under construction at the time, officials

said. She was taken to John H Stroger Junior. Hospital of Cook County and listed in critical condition as of 07:30h. On the northwest side of the city, a man was taken to Lutheran General Hospital and listed in critical condition after he was struck by a falling tree on the 7200 block of West Howard Street, officials said. Temperatures in the Chicago area on Friday were in the upper 90s, and with high humidity the heat index was more than 100 degrees. (MSNBC)

Fired Paraguayan bus drivers crucify themselves in protest

hey’re lying on top of wooden crosses arranged flat on the ground. Passers-by who approach them to get a closer look cringe when they see their hands. The protesters have driven nails into the flesh of their palms between their middle and index fingers, nails that then go straight into planks of wood. The protesters are eight bus drivers who were fired from their jobs two months ago. They protested in midJuly outside the offices of the Vanguardia bus company, their former employer. But after concluding they weren’t getting anywhere by doing that, they “crucified” themselves more than two weeks ago across the street from Vanguardia’s headquarters in the Paraguayan city of Luque, located 12 kilometres (about seven and a half miles) northeast of Asunción, the Paraguayan capital. Damián Espinola, communications director with the Luque municipal government, has been part of a group of local authorities who have tried to mediate

between the company and the crucified bus drivers. “It’s hard to believe, but it’s true,” Espinola said. “All eight bus drivers have been crucified for 17 days. They’re also on hunger strike and some of them are in critical condition. They only drink water. They don’t consume any solid food. Their hands are perforated.” Juan Villalba is one of the crucified bus drivers. Villalba is the secretary of the Paraguayan Federation of Transportation Workers. He told Paraguayan media that his group is willing to take the protest “to the very end,” regardless of the consequences. His wife, María Concepción Candia, also nailed herself to a wooden cross Wednesday to show support. But the company says it has done everything in its power to try to find a solution to the labour conflict. Aufredi Paredes, general manager of Vanguardia, told CNN that the company has even offered to rehire five of the bus drivers. “We have done a little

Eight bus drivers crucify themselves after getting fired in the city of Luque, Paraguay

bit of everything to find a solution, including calling on the human rights commissions from the (Paraguayan) Senate and the Lower House. We have also met with the workers several times, but their leadership has been inflexible. We have followed labour regulations and will continue to abide by the law,” Paredes said. The protest by the eight is part of a larger labour action by some drivers for Vanguardia, a bus com-

pany with 150 employees that has been offering service in Luque and the capital for 45 years. There are currently a total of 50 bus drivers on strike, but the service has continued uninterrupted, Paredes said. “The striking workers and some leftists who have gotten involved have attacked us and our vehicles, breaking windshields, tossing fireworks at us as well. We have also received death threats during meetings and after-

ward,” Paredes said. The workers have also caught the attention of national authorities. Cynthia González, vice minister of Labour and Social Security, visited them on August 23 in an effort to open a dialogue between the company and the bus drivers to find a solution. “Both parties have to give up something in order to advance in the negotiations. In the meantime, we will continue to work by acting as mediators so

that we can help the parties reach an agreement,” González said. The workers went on strike July 23, according to the ministry. There have been several meetings between representatives of the bus drivers, the company and mediators to no avail. Miguel Angel Gill, a councilman and medical doctor, is closely monitoring the health of the protesters. Every morning, local people gather around the crucified bus drivers to get an update on their condition. A picture taken this week by Bernardo Agustti, a photographer for the Paraguayan daily Diario ABC Colour, shows all the workers covered with a banner bearing the colours of the Paraguayan flag. All the workers are wearing medical masks. The crosses are lined up so that all of them face in the same direction. In between two of them, lies a wooden coffin raised at a 45-degree angle; a coffin, they say, that will become their final resting place if the company doesn’t meet their demands. (CNN)