– as National Toshaos Conference opens today

THE need to accelerate the execution of the Amerindian Land Titling (ALTP) Project and the warding off of political interference are among topics high on the agenda when the Annual Conference of the National Toshaos Council (NTC) opens today at the Arthur Chung Convention Centre.

Over 200 indigenous leaders, the majority being toshaos, are expected to be in attendance and, according to the outgoing Chairman of the National Toshaos Council, Joel Fredericks, the challenges in executing the Amerindian Land Titling Project will take centre stage.
With funds from the Guyana REDD+ Investment Fund (GRIF) the Amerindian Land Titling Project was launched in October 2013 to fast-track the Amerindian Land Titling process in Guyana within a three-year framework, but come October, 2018, another extension would be sought.

In an interview with the Guyana Chronicle on Sunday, Fredericks called for acceleration in the landmark project.

Only 26 per cent of the Amerindian Land Titling Project has been achieved to date with US$2.5M or 25 per cent of the US$10.7M budgeted for the project expended. In May, 2018, Indigenous People’s Affairs Minister Sydney Allicock had assured the Parliamentary Sectoral Committee on Natural Resources that by October 2018, four villages will be completely demarcated. The minister had explained that the issue of political divide was among challenges hindering the smooth execution of the project.

Amerindians comprise 9.1 percent of Guyana’s population and currently own approximately 13.9 percent of the land, up from 6 per cent in the early 1990s. The Government of Guyana has set the policy objective of addressing all Land Titling issues by 2015, for Amerindian villages where two thirds of the adult population request this to be done based on the principles of free, prior and informed consent. Historically, high cost has been a barrier to achieving this policy objective. The Government intends to allocate substantial funding from the Guyana REDD+ Investment Fund (GRIF) via this project to remove this barrier.

Through engagement and consultation and based on requests from villages or communities, the project seeks to enable Amerindians to secure their lands and natural resources with a view towards sustainable social and economic development. It is expected that titling of communities will strengthen land tenure security and the expansion of the asset base of Amerindians, enabling improved long-term planning for their future development. It is also expected to enhance the opportunities for villages to ‘opt-in’ to the REDD+ and the LCDs, should they wish to do so.

Fredericks also told this newspaper that the NTC needs neutral leaders who will work with the present government to address Indigenous problems. On Wednesday, the toshaos will vote for a new executive of the NTC, and Fredericks expressed the hope that the process will be transparent.

Revision of the Amerindian Act is another subject that will be up for discussion when the country’s indigenous leaders meet this week.