…whether or not they opt-in to the LCDS
… Amerindian land titling on stream
The Ministry of Amerindian Affairs referred to the article published in Stabroek News of Thursday, 12th May, 2011, headlined, “Amerindian ministry’s authority over REDD spending ‘inappropriate’, says report”.
It is yet another example of one-sided reporting by the Stabroek News, whereby they chose to report on what was said by a team of external consultants, without sharing with their readers the facts about Government policy. The facts are as follows.
As well as policies that benefit all of Guyana, there are three main policy areas within the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) that are of particular relevance to Amerindians. These are set out in Chapter 4, Chapter 9 and Appendix V of the LCDS, and in summary are as follows:
Firstly, the Government has committed to addressing the resolution of all outstanding land titling, demarcation and extension requests by 2014, for all those villages that request this. Appendix V of the LCDS sets out the status of all Amerindian villages in the country as of May 2010. The appendix, as well as a summary on Page 36, details the 96 titled villages, the 11 untitled villages, as well as documenting the outstanding demarcations and extensions. These details are updated annually, and the next version will be placed on the LCDS website by the end of May 2011. Approximately U.S$12.8 million has been earmarked to complete this process by 2014. In each case, village requests were made in accordance with the principles of free, prior and informed consent and the provisions set forth in the Amerindian Act.
Secondly, the Government has stated that villages with titled lands can participate directly in the REDD+ model. All titled villages will be given an opportunity to opt in over the coming years, and until such time as the “opt in” process is completed, the Government will continue to work with all Amerindian villages to identify development priorities. Based on consultations in 2009 and 2010, the priority this year will be the acceleration of the land titling and demarcation process as described above, as well as the distribution of 10,000 solar panels to Amerindian households.
Thirdly, future REDD+ funds will be invested in Amerindian communities in accordance with individual Community Development Plans. These are prepared by the villages themselves, with the support of the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs. To date, 166 Community Development Plans have been produced, and have highlighted village priorities such as income generation, access to IT and improved communications.
Each policy was put together in consultation with Amerindian villages during the extensive consultation that took place in 2009 and 2010. Ongoing design of the detailed investments is being led by Amerindian communities. Far from the ministry exercising “inappropriate authority” as implied by the Stabroek News, they are each examples of the ministry fulfilling its role as the facilitator of policies and investments that advance the self-identified needs of Amerindian communities.