THE Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA) on Saturday, August 29th 2015 convened a meeting with the aim of creating a new civic grouping to focus on priority policy issues. Of the 25 civic organisations invited to the meeting, 15 attended and 5 communicated apologies. A strong presence of youth and indigenous organisations attested to the range of interest in the undertaking.

The meeting was a response to concerns that governance arrangements in Guyana, particularly civic involvement in policy-making, are weak and overly-dependent on listless statutory bodies and the stated intention of the new Government to address governance matters. Greater citizens’ participation would ensure more robust policy-making and accountability. Moreover, such experiences would generate informed advocacy by civic bodies as exercised by counterparts elsewhere.

The new initiative identified two major areas in which the quality of civic involvement is critical: firstly, Guyana’s position on climate change to be presented at the global conference known as COP21, set to take place in December; and, second, Guyana becoming a candidate country in the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI).

Both themes are deeply impacted by the current lack of coherence in Guyana’s policies in which economic extraction and environmental priorities are in conflict with each other. Moreover, both priorities need to be addressed within a limited time-frame.

Regarding these two issues, the meeting agreed on the following programme of activity:

The group will monitor the official draft document to COP21, currently in preparation and hopes to mobilise constructive engagement and discussion with decision-makers. In keeping with international agreement, the draft will be formulated as Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs), that is, commitments Guyana will make to the international community as the country’s contribution to reduce global warming and regulate climate change.

The group also agreed on the need for community outreach on climate change and effective teaching of global warming in primary and secondary schools.

Although Guyana’s carbon emissions are too low to be included in the official classification, there are no grounds for complacency. The link between climate change and serious coastal flooding is well-established and as a critical area of knowledge and consciousness-raising must be passed down to future generations of Guyanese.

With respect to the EITI, the new Coalition Government is committed to complete the formalities for Candidate status by late February 2016. This process anticipates creation of a tri-partite Stakeholder Committee to manage the process, comprising government Agencies, representatives of the extractive industry and civil society.

Successful implementation of this mechanism will require a transition away from the distrust and exclusivity that has characterised life in Guyana to advocating and fostering a collective commitment to compromise, tolerance and empathy. Successful implementation of a genuinely democratic multi-stake-holder EITI committee would provide a template for adaptation and application to other areas of governance.

The organisations present agreed to create a civic EITI working group to support and prepare civil society participation in the EITI over the six month period between September 2015 and February 2016. Such preparation will include a communications strategy aimed at generating popular interest and understanding of the EITI and its aims. Young people constitute a priority target sector, and training opportunities will be organised around the mechanics of how the EITI functions.

Organisations in attendance were: Benab Foundation, Guyana Citizens Initiative (GCI), Guyana Environment Initiative, Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA), Guyana Organization of Indigenous People (GOIP), Jesuits in Guyana, National Toshaos Council (NTC), Red Thread, Rights of Children (ROC), Rotaract-UG, Santa Rosa Village Council, Transparency Institute Guyana Inc. (TIGI), University of Guyana Students Society (UGSS), and the Ursuline Sisters in Guyana.

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Guyana Human Rights Association