Press Release 14 January 2004

10th Iwokrama Board of Trustees Meeting Concludes

Today, the Iwokrama International Board of Trustees concluded their tenth meeting since the formation of the Board in 1997. The Board includes representatives from Guyana, Brazil, the United Kingdom, the USA and Barbados.

The meeting occurred at a critical juncture for Iwokrama; it was extremely successful and ensures the further strengthening of the partnership between Guyana and the Commonwealth.

The most significant outcome of the meeting was the reiterated statement of the absolute commitment of trustees, the Government of Guyana and the Commonwealth Secretariat to the future of the Iwokrama Centre.

During the meeting, trustees spent considerable time examining governance issues within the Board and the Centre. The process for election of a new Chair was initiated and will be finalized before the next Board Meeting in July 2004. Winston Cox, Deputy Secretary General of the Commonwealth, will assume the Chairmanship of the Board in the interim. The Board recommended the names of new trustees to be submitted to the President of Guyana and the Secretary General of the Commonwealth for appointment to the Board. The trustees also established three new standing board committees - Finance and Fundraising, Programme, and Nominating Committees - which will actively support and promote the work of the Centre.

During the meeting, the Director General reported on activities from April to December 2003 and presented the work plan for 2004 to the board. Trustees were extremely impressed by progress in the last nine months; the Centre has successfully undergone rapid institutional change and is now moving on the right trajectory towards a self-sustaining institution. In 2004, Iwokrama will continue to develop timber harvesting, tourism, training and conservation activities in the Iwokrama Forest under a work plan approved by the Board.

Trustees examined and agreed upon the funding requirements of the Centre for 2004 and 2005. The newly established Finance and Fund Raising Committee of the board will take an active role in the development of new financing opportunities over the coming six months. Iwokrama will continue to increase returns from businesses, and, with the support of funding from the British Government, focus fund raising activities on attaining grants and developing an endowment fund for the Centre's long term future. Trustees examined a number of possible opportunities for funding for 2004 and 2005 and decided on priorities to pursue in early 2004.

The trustees also gratefully commended the substantial support for the Centre from the Canadian International Development Agency, the Department for International Development, the European Union, and the International Tropical Timber Organization. During the discussion on funding, the Commonwealth Secretariat made a new and critical commitment of US$320,000 over two years to add to the substantial support already provided by the Secretariat to Iwokrama.

The Board, the Government of Guyana and the Commonwealth Secretariat will work together to secure additional required funding, to firmly ensure the long term future of the Iwokrama Centre.