The good bilateral relations shared between Guyana and the United States of America was yesterday highlighted by President Bharrat Jagdeo at the opening ceremony of the US Continuing Promise 2010 to Guyana at the New Amsterdam Hospital, Region Six. The Continuing Promise 2010 (CP10) onboard the USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7) anchored off the coast of New Amsterdam on Sunday. The CP10 is a humanitarian mission that delivers medical, engineering and veterinary support services.
President Jagdeo, welcoming Commodore Thomas Negus of the US Military and team comprising 20 separate civilian organizations from 13 different nations, including Germany and Canada, emphasised that the good relations between the two countries at the diplomatic level has resulted in several initiatives that have been beneficial to the people of Guyana.
It was noted that the military’s effort in helping the health sector is commendable and Government has been building infrastructure and human resource capacity to meet the health needs of Guyanese.
“We still need a helping hand in this area as we seek to give our people the best quality health care here in Guyana,” President Jagdeo stated.
The works done to improve the nation’s education sector was also acknowledged by President Jagdeo.

It was noted that the US has been instrumental in supporting Guyana’s battle against HIV/AIDS.
“Because of that support, Guyana has not only stabilised the infection rate, but we have seen a radical, drastic decline (in the infection rate). And it is not only about using the resources for advocacy and anti-retrovira, but those resources are being used to put in place an infrastructure that would allow us to deal with other communicable diseases,” President Jagdeo stated.
Since the return of democracy in 1992, Guyana’s economy has been growing, owing to the openness of the country’s market. To hasten this, the development of economic opportunities and investments and entrepreneurship are being sought by Government.
President Jagdeo highlighted that the countries are working towards the creation of a new breed of entrepreneurs that will generate the jobs that will keep Guyanese employed and prosperous.
“It’s an honour for us to have the most powerful military in the world working here in Guyana with us to address some of the concerns of our people, and it is something that is extremely commendable. We know of the US military might, it has been demonstrated time and time again around the world; but more people will get to know the US, particularly the military’s capability in so many other areas,” President Jagdeo stated.
The Head-of-State noted that like Guyana’s military, which is equipped with skilled personnel, the US military also possesses skilled personnel and it is a joy to see those skills deployed to prepare people for disaster and to address some of the concerns the world faces, and also to make a difference in people’slives
It was indicated that the world should operate in a cooperative mode since isolation breeds extremism. President Jagdeo highlighted that too many people are living in poverty, although the world has adequate resources to ensure people emerge from poverty, hunger and diseases.
While many hardships may be as a result of unequal distribution of resources, natural disaster is a contributing factor.
“We also see a growth in the frequency of disaster-related incidents largely because of climate change,” President Jagdeo stated. Guyana’s Coastline is below sea level making the country vulnerable to the rising sea level caused by global warming.
He stated , “Already we are seeing for the past 10 years some volatile unseasonal extreme weather patterns that we have not witnessed in 130 years when measuring the weather in Guyana.”
It was noted that utilising resources for the adaptation of climate change will cost the economy developments in vital sectors such as education and health. Therefore, support to deal with adaptation and in dealing with disasters is very valuable.
Natural disasters are not unique to Guyana, as other Caribbean countries are also susceptible. President Jagdeo acknowledged the efforts of the US military in rendering assistance to Haiti that was unfortunately affected by earthquakes earlier this year.
“Of fifteen most vulnerable countries in the world to weather related effects, 10 of them are located in the Caribbean, and a single disaster can wipe out 80% of GDP. In Grenada’s case almost the entire economy. In 2005, we had a flood here that wiped out equivalent to 60% of our GDP,” President Jagdeo stated.
Regional Chairman Six, Zulfikar Mustapha highlighted that 12 months ago, the announcement of the Continuing Promise 2010 to Guyana was made. He noted that almost immediately project identification commenced with needs assessments and community consultations.

Mustapha emphasised , “In addition to the wide range of medical services offered at Rose Hall, Edinburg and Orealla, Moraikobai and Kwakwani, the agriculture sector will be boosted by the storage and packaging facility which will be built in Black Bush Polder and the veterinary service.”
It was noted that medical equipment at the New Amsterdam Hospital and incinerator will be repaired and the Central Corentyne Secondary School will undergo complete rehabilitation.
Moreover, recreational facilities will be installed at Edinburg, further enhancing the educational sector in the Region. The US military will also distribute back- packs and other packages.
Commodore Thomas Negus emphasised that the Continuing Promise is an equal partner mission that serves as equal demonstration of commitment to neighbours.
He noted , “Our sweat and effort would be our testimony to the strength of our conviction to work in partnership in the spirit of our common humanity, with the idea of building a better community.”
Meanwhile, Chief of Mission, US Embassy, Tom Pierce, stated , “President (Barack) Obama and Secretary of State (Hilary) Clinton have made it clear that a collaborative effort among nations is critical for addressing collective challenges.”
He noted that the humanitarian assistance mission demonstrates the partnership between Guyana and the United States of America to jointly address challenges, exchange expertise, and further strategic cooperation.
Guyana has been a beneficiary of humanitarian assistance from the US Government. The Continuing Promise 2009 also provided medical assistance and assistance in other social sectors to the people of Guyana. (GINA)