Janette Bulkan & World Bank Transparency

On January 16th 2009 the Guyana Times printed an article describing the request by the Government of Guyana for the immediate removal of Janette Bulkan, Ph.D. from a World Bank Technical Advisory Panel (TAP) on Surinames Readiness Preparation Proposal (R-PP) under the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF). Since January 16th, many more news articles in Guyana have carried this story (please see lcdsguyana.com for links to all online articles to date). Guyanas Minister of Agriculture with responsibility for forests, Mr. Robert Persaud, sent a letter to the World Bank on 26 November 2009 asking for Dr. Bulkans immediate removal from the TAP because she has poor understanding of sustainable forest management principles and has participated in slanderous statements accusing the government and President of incompetency and shady activities and also because she failed to comment on a map used by Suriname that claims the New River Triangle. This attack on Dr. Bulkans expertise by the government of Guyana is alarming as she has long been involved with forestry issues in Guyana, including the completion of a Ph.D. from Yale Universitys School of Forestry and Environmental Studies on this topic.

In July 2009, the Stabroek News, the countrys leading newspaper in terms of online hits, published a ten part series of hers on carbon in the forests of Guyana which was educational, informative and useful in the understanding of issues related to the countrys Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS). Dr. Bulkan is a female academic whose dedication to sustainable forestry issues in Guyana spans many years and never fails to call for transparency and good governance throughout all processes.

The fact that Dr. Bulkan is well trained and well versed in topics related to forestry management makes it all the more disturbing that a Minister in the Government of Guyana would not only question her ability, but go as far as to request her removal from a World Bank panel. The government has labeled her unpatriotic for not commenting on the map submitted by Suriname. According to Dr. Bulkan, she was absent from the October 9th TAP meeting where the map was presented and she missed the small map inserted in the draft R-PP document under her review. The Government of Guyana has not condemned the other Guyanese member on the Suriname TAP, for failing to object to the map, so this was clearly not the reason for the objection to Dr. Bulkan. Upsetting as it is that Suriname would use a map showing part of Guyana as theirs, we seriously doubt that the World Bank contracted Dr. Bulkan to capture this foreign affairs blunder and would hate to think that her oversight is a reason for her removal from a panel.

We have learnt that Dr. Bulkans contract with the World Bank was terminated on December 23rd, 2009. Given the recent newspaper articles in Guyana on her World Bank contract, we request that the World Bank provides a response on this matter. We would like to know the banks response to Minister Persauds letter requesting Janette Bulkans immediate termination from the panel, and the names of the TAP who will review Surinames future R-PP submissions. What influence did Minister Persauds letter have in the termination of Dr. Bulkans contract? Article 13 of the Charter establishing the FCFP states that Ad Hoc Technical Advisory Panels may be established for the purpose of providing technical advice and information and shall be independent, impartial and proportionate to the tasks being undertaken (http://www.forestcarbonpartnership.org/fcp/sites/forestcarbonpartnership.org/files/Documents/PDF/FCPF_Charter_06-13-08.pdf). As members of the Guyanese diaspora and as citizens of countries that fund the World Banks activities, we would appreciate your prompt response to this matter which may seem small, but means a lot for the transparency promised by the Government of Guyana and the international community under the new funding mechanisms aimed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from forests through livelihood compensation to the affected groups.