14 June 2013: At a high-level meeting on the Guiana Shield Foundation (GSF) in Bogotá, Colombia, on 14 June 2013, Amapá State (Brazil), Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname and the UN Development Programme (UNDP) signed a resolution meant to foster collaboration on the conservation and sustainable development in the Guiana Shield eco-region.

In the 16-point resolution, signatories agreed inter alia to: support the adoption of a new mission statement; support strategic stakeholders and partners, and the GSF as a multi-partner pilot programme; explore the extension of the GSF to marine protected areas; develop and test payments for ecosystem services; support ecosystem adaptation; monitor forest degradation; support the indigenous management of ecosystems and participation in REDD+; support the management and function of the GSF; and recognize the 20th anniversary of the GSI/GSF.

The signing of the resolution precedes the 3rd International Congress on Biodiversity of the Guiana Shield, which will be held 5-8 August in Paramaribo, Suriname. The 3rd Congress will allow for an exchange of experiences and research on biodiversity in the region, and feature a meeting of the General Assembly of the International Society of Biodiversity of the Guiana Shield (IBG), which aims to join all biodiversity experts and practitioners working in the region.

The six countries that share the Guiana Shield, a multi-donor initiative of the UNDP, include Brazil, Colombia, French Guyana, Guyana, Suriname and Venezuela. [GSF Website] [GSF Resolution] [GSF Resolution Signing Photo Gallery]