…Norway says financial safeguards must be ensured for funds releaseThe government says it plans to use funds from the forest-saving deal with Norway to help build the Amaila Falls Hydro Project, put solar panels in every Amerindian home and demarcate Amerindian lands, none of these projects have yet reached a committee which has to approve financing.As a result,NFL Jerseys China, no financing has yet reached Guyana, and Norway is claiming that this has to do with the fact that the system being set up to channel the money is a new one and there have to be safeguards in place, including ensuring the money will be spent for the intended purpose.Regarding the Amaila Falls Hydroelectric project, Norway said that while the project is listed under the LCDS, it has not been submitted to the relevant Steering Committee for assessment and approval for financing.According to the Norwegian Government, the first transfer of funds (US$30 million) to the Guyana REDD Investment Fund (GRIF), was made according to the agreement with the World Bank and was disbursed for the fund to start operating.“As of now, no funds have been disbursed from the GRIF,” the Royal Ministry of Environment stated.Regarding the Amaila Falls Project, Norway said, “It will only be submitted once Guyana and the IDB have complied with all their requirements.“If the financing of equity is presented to the Steering Committee,Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping, IDB’s assessment will be used by Norway as the base for assessing GRIF support,” Norway stated.It said that the reference by the civil society grouping to “allegations in the independent press of corruption and malfeasance” cannot easily be refuted without substantiation.Funds from the GRIF are only disbursed on approval by the Steering Committee, and they are channeled through the Partner Entities, which are the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the World Bank.According to Norway, the timing of disbursements into the GRIF does not change this.“Getting the modalities and modus operandi of the GRIF sufficiently established, and thus getting projects approved by the GRIF Steering Committee,Cheap Soccer Jerseys, has taken longer than expected,” the Ministry of Environment stated.It said that a reflection of getting a new system to work, “including with respect to the application of fiduciary, environmental and social safeguards.”Norway’s statement, coming from the Royal Ministry of Environment in Norway in response to an eight-point list of concern submitted by a group of civil society activists and two Parliamentarians.On March 24, members of Guyana’s civil society and two Members of Parliament?sent a letter to Erik Solheim, Norway’s Minister of the Environment and International Development. The letter raised “eight key problems with the operation of the Memorandum of Understanding between the governments of Guyana and Norway”.Two months later,?Solheim replied, “It will not be possible to go into the details of your letter here”.On May 20, 2011, another letter was sent to Solheim requesting a detailed reply to the eight points raised in the first letter. A detailed response was issued on Thursday, in which the Norwegian government asserted that the Government of Guyana and the Guyanese people are in charge of this country’s development and this includes the implementation of the Guyana Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) and the Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) agenda.Norway has pledged to give to Guyana US$250 million to pursue the LCDS under the context of the REDD+, the system being devised at the international level to get rich governments to pay poor countries to keep their forests standing.“Norway has entered into a partnership with Guyana to support its efforts to maintain a low rate of deforestation and forest degradation and improve forest governance.“In the process we hope to contribute to the creation of a global model for such partnerships,” the Royal Ministry of Environment stated.Reacting to the concerns of the civil society grouping, the partnership is very much in progress.“It is not perfect, but we are breaking new ground and learning and adapting as we go. We will continue to improve the partnership over time,” it was stated.Six projects have been prepared by the Government of Guyana and are currently being reviewed by the respective Partner Entities.Regarding civil society concerns that deforestation appears to have increased, not decreased,Cheap NFL Jerseys, Norway has admitted this, but has sought to rationalize its decision to justify the release of funds.? Norway said it entered into a partnership with Guyana to create a model that could be used for High Fo