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Suriname: The Greenest Country on Earth - A Special Report
Suriname: The Greenest Country on Earth is a Special Report produced by The Washington Times International Advocacy Department.
Attaining new heights in sustainable development
By Katrina Lamb
Suriname is a country of striking human diversity: a country where musical traditions of Java and India, age-old rhythms of Ghana, poems of indigenous folk tales and the prayers of Jews and Muslims alike blend into a surprisingly harmonious national voice. Published September 16, 2014
Recent Stories
Managing economic growth through financial stability
Suriname’s economic trajectory for the past ten years boasts impressive headline numbers.
Suriname calls for action at U.N. Climate Summit
Addressing the United Nations Climate Change Summit 2014, Suriname pledged that it would continue embracing its green policies, and called on the world' community to join the battle against global warming.
A mosaic of cultural and religious diversity
Suriname is a country of exceptional ethnic and religious diversity: a diversity, which, through the exercise of tolerance and co-existence, has become a national strength. It is a strength born out of hardship.
Suriname pledges to stay 'green' as it ramps up its mining and oil industries
Suriname prides itself on being the "greenest" country on Earth and it intends to stay green as it ramps up its oil and mining industries, say government officials.
Small states speak with moral authority
Like the proverbial canary in the coal mine, small and developing coastal nations and island-states are singularly qualified to identify the world's problems – and help mobilize solutions.
Indigenous people redefine conservation
Suriname, nestled on the northeastern coast of South America, is a small country with huge conservation ambitions. It sits atop the ancient Guiana Shield formation which stores approximately 10-15 percent of the global freshwater supply and which is covered with rich Amazonian rainforest.
U.S. Ambassador upbeat about Suriname's business opportunities
Suriname has embarked on an ambitious development program – and it is welcoming foreign direct investment to pay for it. U.S. companies will find a business-friendly climate in the tiny and resource-rich nation, situated on the northeast corner of South America.
Will development plans succeed?
Suriname, a resource-rich and developing nation, has embarked on an ambitions long-range development plan. Foreign direct investment is being welcomed. The two most prospective sectors: minerals and oil. The four-year-old government of President Desir Bouterse plans to boost revenues from those sectors - now 40 percent of GDP and plow them into development projects that benefit the population of 542,000.
Suriname and the OAS: economic diplomacy through multilateral engagement
An Interview with Ambassador Niermala Badrising, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Suriname to the Organization of American States.
IDCS: Bringing partners in investment to Suriname
Sustainable economic growth is a key pillar of Suriname's medium and long-term development strategy. Recognizing the important role that foreign direct investment (FDI) plays in building long term growth, the Government of President Desir Delano Bouterse established the Investment Development Corporation of Suriname (IDCS) on April 18, 2014.
Production-sharing deals spur offshore oil exploration
Some of the world's top oil companies are betting that the next big oil discovery will be in the offshore waters of Suriname a small former Dutch colony on the northeast coast of South America.
Oil industry heats up
Suriname's State Oil Company, Staatsolie Maatschappij Suriname N.V., is generating excitement and buzz in the oil industry, now that some offshore drilling is expanding after many months of deep-water exploration.
Suriname buzzes with infrastructure construction
New bridges, new roads, and upgrades of aging roads and infrastructure all are underway in Suriname as the small South American nation undertakes an ambitious development plan.
Suriname's macroeconomic developments and outlook
In the oil sector, the start of operations of the new refinery will all but eliminate oil imports, improving the foreign exchange net inflows by an estimated five percent of GDP from 2015.
Newmont starts $1 billion gold-mining project
U.S. gold-mining giant Newmont Mining Corporation, after years of geological studies and negotiations with the government of Suriname, has started work on its Merian Gold Project a site in the northeastern part of Suriname.
Security and beyond: Suriname and the U.S. deepen their bilateral ties
Security has been a top-level priority for the United States for many years. A particularly critical security issue in the Western Hemisphere is the drug trade. Here the U.S. has formed a valuable, proactive partnership with Suriname.
New power plant meets rising demand
It was an important symbol of the government's commitment to providing reliable electricity the recent opening of a modern power plant in Paramaribo.
Open for business: Suriname looks to grow and broaden its investment opportunities
Suriname's economy offers many attractions for foreign investors. Steady real GDP growth (projected at a five percent annual average rate through 2016), low inflation and solid international credit ratings (Moody's Ba3, S&P BB-) are among the headline numbers that have contributed to a recent uptick in foreign direct investment (FDI) flows from the United States, Canada and elsewhere.
Port of Paramaribo serves growing region
The Port of Paramaribo is playing a vital role in Suriname's effort to ramp up its development, and it has plenty of capacity to grow with Suriname and the region, say officials.
Staying 'green' to keep the ocean at bay
In a worst-case scenario, global warming would prove disastrous for Suriname. Rising sea levels from melting glaciers, ice caps, and the oceans' thermal expansion would cover large portions of the low-lying coastal country and flood the capital of Paramaribo.
Toronto-based IAMGOLD upbeat about Suriname gold mining operations
Toronto-based IAMGOLD Corporation is expanding its gold-mining operations in Suriname with a newly negotiated concession that increased the government's stake in its operations despite falling gold prices.
Tourism industry poised for growth
Suriname's incipient tourism industry may not be widely known, yet it enjoys dazzling bragging rights a glowing travel article in The New York Times that dubbed it "South America's hidden treasure."
