Seminar
Strategic Plateau of the Guiana Shield – Climate and defence workshop
9h-12h45
Sep 25 2025
Info
Restricted seminar organized by the Defense and Climate Observatory, led by IRIS on behalf of the Directorate General for International and Strategic Relations (DGRIS) of the French Ministry of the Armed Forces. This seminar is part of the Strategic Dialogue of the Guiana Plateau.
Programme
9h-9h15
Welcome address
9h15-10h45
Security risks linked to climate change in the Guiana Plateau region
11h-12h30
Amazon Rainforest – Climate Tipping Point, Security, Environmental Crime, and Conflicts Linked to Illegal Resource Exploitation
Speakers
Welcome address
Lieutenant-Colonel Nicolas Rossignol
Head of the Asia, Oceania, and Latin America Department, Directorate General for International Relations and Strategy (DGRIS)
Antoine Poussier
Prefect of the Guiana Region
Security risks linked to climate change in the Guiana Plateau region
Dr. Paulette Bynoe
Professor and Dean, School of Graduate Studies and Research (SGSR) of the University of Guyana
Dr. Thauan Dos Santos
Professor at the Brazilian Naval War College (EGN), Coordinator of the Blue Economy Group (GEM)
Lieutenant-Colonel Emmanuel Rigault
Defence Attaché, French Embassy in Suriname and Guyana
Lieutenant-Colonel Van Huisduinen
Deputy Commander of the Air Force and Armed Forces of Suriname
Moderation
Eleonore Duffau
Junior Research Fellow – Climate, Energy and Security Program, French Institute for International and Strategic Affairs (IRIS)
Amazon Rainforest – Climate Tipping Point, Security, Environmental Crime, and Conflicts Linked to Illegal Resource Exploitation
Marina Hirota
PhD, Associate Professor at the Federal University of Santa Catarina
Colonel Sheldon Howell
Colonel Sheldon Howell Director of the National Security and Intelligence Agency of Guyana
Commander Christophe Laratte
Battalion Chief, Senior Command of the Armed Forces in French Guiana
Verginia Wortel
Head of Department of Forest Management, Centre for Agricultural Research in Suriname (CELOS)
Moderation
Mathilde Jourde
Research Fellow – Head of the Climate, Environment, Security Program, Co-Director of the Defence & Climate Observatory, French Institute for International and Strategic Affairs (IRIS)
Location
This seminar will take place in Cayenne, French Guiana.
Speakers
Welcome address
Lieutenant-Colonel Nicolas Rossignol
Head of the Asia, Oceania, and Latin America Department, Directorate General for International Relations and Strategy (DGRIS)
Antoine Poussier
Prefect of the Guiana Region
Security risks linked to climate change in the Guiana Plateau region
Dr. Paulette Bynoe
Professor and Dean, School of Graduate Studies and Research (SGSR) of the University of Guyana
Dr. Thauan Dos Santos
Professor at the Brazilian Naval War College (EGN), Coordinator of the Blue Economy Group (GEM)
Lieutenant-Colonel Emmanuel Rigault
Defence Attaché, French Embassy in Suriname and Guyana
Lieutenant-Colonel Van Huisduinen
Deputy Commander of the Air Force and Armed Forces of Suriname
Moderation
Eleonore Duffau
Junior Research Fellow – Climate, Energy and Security Program, French Institute for International and Strategic Affairs (IRIS)
Amazon Rainforest – Climate Tipping Point, Security, Environmental Crime, and Conflicts Linked to Illegal Resource Exploitation
Marina Hirota
PhD, Associate Professor at the Federal University of Santa Catarina
Colonel Sheldon Howell
Colonel Sheldon Howell Director of the National Security and Intelligence Agency of Guyana
Commander Christophe Laratte
Battalion Chief, Senior Command of the Armed Forces in French Guiana
Verginia Wortel
Head of Department of Forest Management, Centre for Agricultural Research in Suriname (CELOS)
Moderation
Mathilde Jourde
Research Fellow – Head of the Climate, Environment, Security Program, Co-Director of the Defence & Climate Observatory, French Institute for International and Strategic Affairs (IRIS)
