LAST Thursday, Guyana joined the rest of the World in celebrating International Women’s Day. International Women’s day is not just a symbolic day on the International Calendar which highlights the value of women around the world. It also provides the opportunity for us to recognise and reflect on the progress and significant contributions of women to development on all spectra; particularly as it relates to environmental sustainability.

It is only fitting that the unbridled contributions of women in Environmental Protection, Management and the sustainable use of natural resources are highlighted. In Guyana, there are many women driving the work of the environmental sector. The EPA has over the years been building the capacity of women to make interventions within their homes, workplaces and communities.

Undeniably, women have direct contact with the environment as farmers, homemakers, agriculturalists, water resources managers and traditional scientists among others. Women are not only knowledgeable about the environment, they are also protective and caring.

EPA building women’s capacity in Environmental Management

The Environmental Protection Agency has been instrumental in involving women in protecting the environment through training workshops, seminars and other forms of outreach. The topics include; climate change, waste management, energy and water-wise practices and biodiversity management. Interventions were made in a number of communities in Regions One, Three, Four, Five and Six.

Understanding that the environment is everybody’s business, it is the civic duty of all Guyanese to be more responsible users of our environment. Acknowledging the important role of women in environmental sustainability and achieving Guyana’s green trajectory, the EPA will continue to build the capacity of women across Guyana in the field of environment and development.
We salute women working in the environmental field.