Georgetown : The Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs in collaboration with Conservation International Foundation Inc., is in the process of developing a framework for the implementation of the Hinterland Sustainable Development Project.
This initiative is the first phase of the execution of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) recently signed between the Ministry and Conservation International. The MOU aims to enhance sustainable development of Indigenous communities in keeping with Guyana’s green economy efforts.
A two-day workshop at the Herdmanston Lodge that concluded last evening saw representatives from Indigenous organisations and the National Toshaos Council being briefed on the framework’s components. Representatives from the various ministries, Iwokrama, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and staff of the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs’ and civil society also participated.
Minister of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs, Sydney Allicock in an invited comment today, said, “For 50 years the Indigenous people have been waiting to be included in national development and with this framework it will be possible, the discussions are fruitful… People have been considering the hinterland as the interior and ‘bush’ but no longer will we be considering it as such, but rather, a developed community.”
The minister explained that the framework allows for the Ministry to carry out its mandate in a more efficient manner. Staff of the different Ministries that participated in the workshop will have an input into the project, so as to avoid duplications of projects, programmes and policies, Minister Allicock said.
The framework will provide both financial and technical support to communities for achieving sustainable development targets. These include the development of health and education services, preservation of the environment and traditions and culture, as well as improving governance.
The components of the framework are to allow full participation of Indigenous peoples to establish sustainable development goals for the over 200 Indigenous communities. These communities will also be supported in implementing community development projects. They will be allowed to manage the project by monitoring their actions and outcomes and reporting to government, which will then utilise an established mechanism for verification.
