— President urges Cuffy 250 Committee

PRESIDENT David Granger has urged the executive of the Cuffy 250 Committee to commence working on plans to develop projects pertaining to Afro-Guyanese.
He told the body and its members during their 5th annual State of the African-Guyanese forum on Sunday at the Critchlow Labour College that the allocation of finances to support such projects can be made in accordance with the United Nations declaration of the International Decade of People of African Descent.
He said in July, the government commenced working on the budget cycle for 2018, and according to him, allocations will have to be decided over the next 10 weeks if plans put forward by the Cuffy 250 body are to be included in the 2018 national budget.
The budget is expected to be presented in the National Assembly in that timeframe.
The President received a report from the Cuffy250 Committee and he noted that there are several elements of the Country Coordinating Mechanism (CCM) of the United Nations-designated International Decade of People of African Descent which has to be addressed by the committee.

The President highlighted three issues which the CCM body should examine. He listed organisation and education as top priorities, adding that implementation of mechanisms is the most important.
The decade was launched in 2013, and he noted that 1/3 of the 120 months has expired. “So we now have to accomplish in two thirds of that time what we should have accomplished in 10 years,” he said.
He said that the decade is too important to become an opportunity for racial or religious discrimination. “Let us not fight old battles of the past,” he said to the packed audience as they responded with applause.

President Granger told the gathering that the decade must be forward -looking, noting that it is about the next decade and not the previous one.
“My brothers and sisters, the opportunity presented by the United Nations decade is unlikely to present itself during a lifetime,” he added.
Jonathon Adams of the Cuffy250 Committee during an address spoke of the issues which persons of African descent have faced here over the years.
Dr William Adu-Krow , PAHO/WHO Representative in Guyana, said it is particularly important to enhance cohesion and cooperation within society, while recognising the identity and values of all the ethnic groups.

He said that the international decade of people of African descent is a reminder of human rights, dignity and human freedom.
“We have to make a conscious effort to remember the sacrifices of those before us,” he added.
He announced at the forum that a UN working group on the People of African Descent would be visiting Guyana in October 2017 at the request of the government.