Janette Bulkan chastised by the government of Guyana

Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud of Guyana needs to make public the actual reasons why he falsely accused Janet Bulkan of reviewing Guyana’s RPP and did not object to Suriname territorial map in Washington. World Bank sent Baiganchoka.com the list of participants at the meeting and janet Bulkan’s name was not on the list.

Janette Bulkan might not be a name you readily recognize but in the circles of environmental/forestry critics Janette is highly regarded as key opinion leader in the field. Janet is also Guyanese and she made no effort to suffocate her opinion on Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy spearheaded by President Bharrat Jagdeo to garnish international funds for Guyana’s economic growth.

Recently, the government of Guyana lashed out against Bulkan. Specifically, the Ministry of Agriculture of Guyana Minister Robert Persaud in an official letter to the World Bank’s Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) claimed that:

The reason for the letter to the World Bank’s forestry division is because Bulkan is on the roster of experts who can be selected to serve on the Technical Advisory Panel (TAP) as needed, offering a wide range of technical and policy expertise and knowledge of specific country conditions. The Facility Management Team (FMT) invites TAP experts to review R-Plans submitted by REDD eligible countries, for completeness and quality in meeting the criteria for R-Plans set forth by the FCPF Information Memorandum.

But the objection to the World Bank goes further than claiming that Bulkan is guilty of publicly slandering Guyana’s carbon forestry Initiatives. In October 2009 at the fourth meeting of the Participants Committee of the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility(FCPF), the government of Guyana filed a complaint with the World Bank noting that Suriname representatives presented a map of its country ( Suriname’s RPP) which identified part of Guyana as belonging to Suriname. (Suriname’s Updated RPP January 2010)

Bulkan is caught in the middle because Government of Guyana claims she was a reviewer of Guyana’s Readiness Preparation Proposal and was present when Suriname’s RFP was presented. ( RPP) at that October meeting and did nothing to correct the exaggerated map of Suriname with parts of Guyana included.

In mid January 2010, Kaieteur News published an article titled “Gov’t protests Suriname’s map showing Guyana’s territory – demands Janette Bulkan’s removal from key World Bank panel”. (Article cannot be located on the internet by Baiganchoka.com) In Response, Bulkan wrote to the newspaper in attempt to clarify the accusations made against her. Bulkan noted that she was not present at the meeting in question and in no way could have protested the map in question.

Recently, we contacted the World Bank in Washington in an attempt to verify Janette Bulkan’s presence during the October 2009 meeting in Washington. Late Monday afternoon 1/25/2010, we received the list of attendees at the meeting in question, thus confirming Janet Bulkan’s claim that she was not present.

The government of Guyana once again has enlightened us to the communist style propaganda it practices.
Moreover, Minister Robert Persaud should be more careful in his accusations against individuals whose opinions do not parallel that of the government he serves.

Since Bulkan is outspoken and well respected in her area of expertise, it is in the best interest of Government of Guyana to separate her from influencing decisions that will affect financial compensation to the country through its Low Carbon Development Strategy initiative and REDD.

List of components and funds requested through Guyana’s Readiness Preparation Proposal to the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility in October 2009.
Component 1: Land use, forest policy and governance quick assessment. The total cost for this Component is US$320,000 of which US$25,000 is being requested from FCPF.
Component 2: Management of Readiness. The total cost for this Component is US$1,571,000 of which US$467,000 is being requested from FCPF.
Component 3: Design the REDD strategy. The total cost for this Component is US$2,556,000 of which US$689,000 is being requested from FCPF.
Component 4: REDD Implementation Framework.The total estimated cost of this Component is $977,000 (USD) of which the FCPF contribution will be $175,000 (USD).
Component 5: Assess the Social and Environmental Impacts, and Potential Additional Benefits, Of Candidate REDD Strategy Activities. The estimated cost of this component is $504,000 (USD) with the FCPF contributing $243,000 (USD).
Component 6: Assess investment and capacity building requirements. The estimated cost of this component is $636,000 (USD) of which the FCPF will contribute $271,000 (USD).
Component 7: Develop a Reference Scenario. The total cost for this Component is US$1,575,000 of which US$513,000 is being requested from FCPF.
Component 8: Design and Implement Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification System for REDD. The total cost for this Component is US$2,327,000of which US$1,181,000 is being requested from FCPF.
Component 9: Design a System of Management, Implementation, and Evaluation of Readiness Preparation Activities. The estimated budget for this component is $760,000 (USD), of whic the FCPF is expected to contribute $35,000

To learn more about Janette Bulkan, visit us here. To read the complete document of Guyana’s Readiness Preparation Proposal, click here.

Supplemental Readings:
Guyana could certainly use forest protection cash – but not under false pretences
Stabroek News publication on The World Bank Panel
Kaieteur News publication on Janette Bulkan’s denial and Minister Persaud letter to the World Bank.
Response to New York Times Article “Guyana offers a Model to Save Rain Forest”
Is President Bharrat Jagdeo of Guyana defrauding the world with his forest protection strategy?
Get the facts on China Straight President Jagdeo, Please!
President Bharrat Jagdeo of Guyana goes home empty pockets from Copenhagen Climate Change Summit.
Copenhagen or bust: Guyana’s President Bharrat Jagdeo battles the beast
Is Guyana to increase deforestation despite touting green around the world?
A Low-Carbon economic development strategy for Guyana
Protecting Guyana’s rainforests while furthering economic development.
Guyana could be paid for increasing deforestation: Jagdeo

World Bank Moves to Terminate its Technical Advisory Panel..Read Official Release

January 26, 2010:

In a press release late 1/25/2010 the World Bank decided to terminate its Technical Advisory Panel(TAP) under its Forest Carbon Partnership Facility division. The panel was made up of short term consultants of which Janette Bulkan a Guyanese and an outspoken critic of Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy initiative and REDD was a member.

This move by the World Bank comes at a time when Bulkan is being criticized by the Government of
Guyana for being uneducated about the issues surrounding Guyana’s forestry initiatives.

Agriculture Minister of Guyana Robert Persaud, wrote to the World Bank in late November 2009 requesting the Janette Bulkan be removed from the panel that reviews Readiness Preparation Proposals (R-PPs) because she never objected to a map shown at the last meeting in October 2009 where Suriname displayed a map which included part of Guyana’s territory as belonging them. Additionally, the Minister claims that Bulkan writes articles that are highly inaccurate, filled with distortions and unsubstantiated allegations, hence, she is unfit to serve on the TAP panel.

In defense, Bulkan has made public that she was not present at the October meeting in Washington, so it was impossible to object to any inaccuracies presented. Baiganchoka.com received a copy of the participant’s list on 1/25/2010 which confirmed that Janette Bulkan was not present at the meeting in question.

The Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) was set up by the world bank to review R-PPs and make recommendations to support funding through REDD to developing countries with high forest covers and initiatives in place to protect these forests from future degradation.

While i find this decision by the world Bank to be very disturbing, the release below clearly specifies that services from the entire TAP panel will no longer be necessary, hence, Bulkan was not singled out neither did the move come in response to the Agriculture Minister’s letter to the bank.

The decision to terminate the present TAP panel is clearly due to an evolving process adopted by the World Bank. Each round of TAP review of Readiness Preparation Idea Notes (R-PINs) and subsequent R-PPs over the past year and a half has utilized a different ad hoc TAP group of experts, depending on the expertise required for the mix of country submissions being reviewed.

Bulkan holds a doctorate from Yale University School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. She is now the Andrew W. Mellon postdoctoral fellow in international environmental human rights at Colby College, Waterville, Maine, USA. To learn more about Janette Bulkan, visit westindianencyclopedia.com.