Press Release 18 May 2004

President Jagdeo Visits Iwokrama Forest;
Voices Support and Compliments

Georgetown, Guyana -- On 16 May 2004, His Excellency Bharrat Jagdeo, President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, became the first Head of State to visit the Iwokrama Forest in central Guyana.  President Jagdeo lauded Iwokrama's successes, noting that it continued to be a very positive international ambassador for Guyana.

President Jagdeo was accompanied by a large group of about 20 persons, including Iwokrama Trustee and Minister of Amerindian Affairs, the Hon. Carolyn Rodrigues, and the Hon. Dr. Jennifer Westford, Minister of Public Service Management.  President Jagdeo and the entourage visited the two key features of Iwokrama's research and ecotourism initiatives, the Field Station at Kurupukari and the Canopy Walkway at Maushiparu, North Rupununi.

This visit by President Jagdeo follows that of Prime Minister Samuel Hinds in November, when His Excellency Mr. Hinds and Mrs. Hinds opened the Iwokrama Forest Canopy Walkway.

During his exchange with Iwokrama staff and Mr. Sydney Allicock, community leader and Iwokrama Trustee, His Excellency Mr. Jagdeo referred to the strong working partnerships with local communities and Guyana and said he was particularly pleased that Iwokrama was able "to fit into, to understand, respect and appreciate our culture".  The President also expressed the hope that Iwokrama will soon export model systems for tropical rain forest use to British Commonwealth nations and other countries.  To underscore his confidence in Iwokrama, President Jagdeo added that the Government is partnering with Iwokrama to secure increased support from international donors for the Guyanese-based conservation and development organisation.

Iwokrama continues to forge ahead in its efforts to become not only a model of sustainable development and conservation, but an effective, business-oriented institution, capable of producing consistent and reliable results.  Over the next two months, Iwokrama will complete a new Business Plan. Its new and revised strategies will move Iwokrama toward this institutional sustainability and enhance its capacity for creating productive cross-sectoral partnerships as the basis for sustainable rain forest conservation and business development.

For more information about Iwokrama's successful community human relations and development or its burgeoning businesses, visit the organisation's newly redesigned web site at www.iwokrama.org.