— paves way for better life for indigenous villages

THE Sustainable Development Agreement Framework (SDAF) was launched on Wednesday, paving the way for financial and technical support to indigenous villages, geared at providing them a better life.The framework is part of Guyana’s programme to accomplish the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), to put an end to all forms of poverty, fight inequality, and tackle climate change.

The programme is designed to assist Indigenous communities achieve their sustainable development vision over a 10- year period, and part of it requires them to annually submit proposals for developmental projects to be approved by the Ministry of Indigenous People’s Affairs.

The framework will also support communities in monitoring the impact of the monies and other resources invested, and will assist the Ministry and other stakeholders to ensure their investments result in long-term community benefits.

In a broader sense, it is expected to enable effective coordination and planning to achieve local sustainable development targets in keeping with the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to which Guyana is a signatory.

Speaking at the launch at the Umana Yana, Georgetown, Indigenous People’s Affairs Minister, Sydney Allicock said the initiative will help Indigenous communities to identify steps to be taken to rise out of poverty.

“I believe that we could only fight poverty with those people who know about poverty, getting them involved, to show us or show the team what their needs are. Life has become hard as I see it, because we have lost our direction of being able to manage in our natural environment, and there is where there is a good opportunity to have such a framework to include those skills that are still there in making the communities stronger and better for the future,” Allicock said.
Life in a natural environment, caring for its ecosystems, with little financial and technological resources is one familiar to Indigenous peoples.

It is the feeling that now is the time for the establishment of partnership through Government, non-governmental organisations, local community agencies and international donor agencies to conquer the social ills that still exist in Indigenous communities, the minister said.

“So what is important too, in the lives of community is the understanding of partnership. We have relations with all living things that are around, now we have partners who could bring the financial support… the partnership in this I’m quite certain will work,” Allicock contended.

The history of the framework lies with ideas set out by the Kanuku Mountains Community Reporting Group (KMCRG), the minister noted, pointing out that as population grows, pressure on the natural environment increases.

With this, he said, the need to better manage the environment also increases.
Here is where the SDAF is very important and will need to buy in from all communities, the Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs Minister said.

“With land demarcation we need to step up our knowledge through modern technology to develop areas already tested… We realise that the communities need our assistance and technical guidance … If we’re going to move this process forward, we need the entire community to have that buying… this system is going to allow us to use the supportive approach instead of a dictatorial one (which) will allow and give the communities the confidence that they so much deserve or need for managing their affairs.”