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The Establishment of Iwokrama Forest
A Concept
Iwokrama International Centre has its origins in an offer made in 1989 by then President of Guyana, Desmond Hoyte, on the occasion of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Malaysia. The overall concept, including the identification of the forest site, was developed jointly by a Guyanese inter-agency team headed by the Guyana Natural Resources Agency, and by a Commonwealth Group of Experts headed by the eminent Indian Scientist, Dr. Swaminathan. The Report was presented on June 5th, 1990 to mark World Environment Day.
Over the next few years, guidelines for the management of the site were outlined by Guyanese and international consultants. In 1993, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) through the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) signed an agreement to grant US$3 million as seed funding to assist with the development of the Programme. By 1994, a functional field station was established in the Iwokrama Forest to enable research and training.
An Agreement
At the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in November 1995, President Cheddi Jagan, and Secretary-General of the Commonwealth Secretariat, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, signed the Agreement which defines the objectives, functions, and organisation of Iwokrama. This Agreement forms part of the enabling legislation tabled in Parliament in late December 1995.
A Law
On March 14, 1996 the National Assembly (Parliament) of Guyana passed the Iwokrama International Centre for Rain Forest Conservation and Development Act with the unanimous approval of both sides of the house. The Act was signed into law on May 12, 1996 by President Cheddi Jagan.
| Key Milestones in the History of Iwokrama | |
1989 |
His Excellency Desmond Hoyte, President of Guyana, offers one million acres of pristine rainforest to the international community through the Kuala Lumpur Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting
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| 1993 | US$3 million grant from Global Environment Facility
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| 1995 | Iwokrama Agreement signed by His Excellency Cheddi Jagan, President of Guyana, and Chief Ameka Anyaoku, Secretary General of the Commonwealth
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| 1996 | Iwokrama Act passed unanimously by the Guyana Parliament
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| 1998 | US$10 million secured from International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO), British Department for International Development (DFID), the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and the European Commission.
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| 2000 | HRH Prince Charles of Wales becomes Royal Patron to Iwokrama
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| 2001 | Forest zoned into Sustainable Utilization Area and Wilderness Preserve
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| 2002 | Representative of the local North Rupununi communities appointed to the International Board of Trustees
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| 2003 | Significant reduction in donor funding forced considerable cost cutting as annual operating costs were cut from US$2 million per year to US$1.2 million
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Iwokrama International Centre for Rain Forest Conservation and Development Act (.pdf) |
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Iwokrama International Centre for Rain Forest Conservation and Development
77 High Street, Kingston, Georgetown, Guyana, South America. Tel: (592) 225-1504 E-mail: iwokrama-general@iwokrama.org
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