Close to 3,000 projects have been implemented in Indigenous villages through financing generated from the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCD’s) 2030.
Senior Director of Climate and REDD+ in the Office of the President, Pradeepa Bholanath, made the remarks during an appearance on the Starting Point programme on Sunday.
“To date, we have seen close to 3,000 projects implemented at the village level,” she disclosed.
Under LCDS 2030, the Government of Guyana committed to allocating at least 15 per cent of all revenues earned from carbon credit sales directly to Indigenous peoples and local communities.
Bholanath said the initiative empowers villages to identify and implement projects based on their own developmental priorities through Village Sustainability Plans.
“To my mind, [it is] one of the biggest successes of the implementation of LCDS 2030,” she stated.
The plans are developed by community members, approved by village councils and used to guide investments that improve livelihoods and support long-term development.
252 Indigenous villages receive annual allocations ranging from approximately $10 million to $35 million, depending on population size. The financing has supported a wide range of projects, including the construction of kitchens to enhance school feeding programmes, the establishment of bakery enterprises, daycare facilities for working parents, income-generating ventures and other community development initiatives.
Funding has been disbursed annually since 2023, enabling Indigenous communities to pursue development initiatives tailored to their unique social, economic and cultural needs.
The investments form part of Guyana’s broader effort to ensure that revenues generated from forest conservation directly benefit the communities that have long played a vital role in protecting the country’s natural resources.