The National Toshaos Council Meeting is to be held from Monday to Friday next week with nominations for members of the Indigenous Peoples Commission (IPC) being a priority item on the agenda..

The venue is the Guyana International Conference Centre at Liliendaal, East Coast Demerara, and some 168 delegates are to participate in the five day programme.

Representatives of the indigenous peoples from Suriname and French Guiana are also expected to attend.

This was disclosed Wednesday by Minister of Amerindian Affairs Ms Pauline Sukhai during a briefing on the upcoming event to members of the media in the boardroom of her Ministry at Thomas and Quamina Streets in the city.

Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs Mr. Nigel Dharamlall chaired the meeting, which was also attended by Mr. Norman Whittaker, Member of Parliament and Liaison Officer to the Ministry.

Minister Sukhai disclosed that the major elements of the meeting will be reviews of activities and achievements of the Council since the last meeting in 2007, elections of a new Executive Council, interfacing with Government Ministers and also with President Jagdeo on the Low Carbon Development Strategy.

A sub- theme of the event is : “Securing the livelihood through using a low carbon pathway.”

A main item on the agenda will be the nomination of members to the Indigenous Peoples Commission, since those chosen at the last meeting in 2007 are no longer serving as Toshaos, Minister Sukhai disclosed.

The meeting will not only engage the business of the National Toshaos Council, but will also serve as an opportunity for the Ministry to build capacity of the delegates by providing basic training in leadership skills which will allow them to function more effectively.

The meeting will also examine issues of Governance as it relates to the village council and how Toshaos perform, and examine ways in which the Ministry can support them and guide them and strengthen their governance and administrative abilities.

The program also includes the Toshaos being trained as Justices of Peace and Rural Constables, and some will be sworn in as Constables as part of their leadership responsibilities within their communities.

The interface with Ministers will allow Toshaos to field questions, raise concerns, and enquire into the issues they feel that they need to raise with the subject Ministers.

The Ministry of Amerindian Affairs will also take the opportunity to engage the leaders with its own programmes for development of their communities, including the programme of the National Hinterland Secure Livelihood Program, Sukhai said.

The opening ceremony for the programme is scheduled for 1000 hrs on Monday, July 27th