Bartica residents engage gov’t agencies at forum
Officials of the six natural resources agencies and the Ministry of Natural Resources represented at the head table
Officials of the six natural resources agencies and the Ministry of Natural Resources represented at the head table

RESIDENTS in Bartica on Monday had the opportunity to engage with officials from six government agencies in the natural resources sector about issues that affected their livelihood and how these can be addressed.

The meeting, which took place at the Bartica Community Centre, is the first in a quarterly series of engagements hosted by the Inter-Agency Compliance Collaboration Forum comprising regulatory agencies under the purview of the Ministry of Natural Resources(MNR) and the Ministry of the Presidency.

Some of the persons who attended the forum on Monday at the Bartica Community Centre

The agencies are the Guyana Forestry Commission, the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission, the Guyana Gold Board, the Protected Areas Commission, the Guyana Wildlife Conservation and Management Commission and the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission. Mr. Derrick Lawrence, Director of Compliance at the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Chairman of Monday’s stakeholders’ engagement, made the point that the occasion provided the opportunity for citizens to engage with the regulatory agencies in relationship-building and information-sharing, rather than the more common compliance monitoring and enforcement exercises.

Mr. Lawrence emphasised that compliance in the natural resources and environmental sectors should be predicated on knowledge and awareness. “This is the beginning of a dialogue between you the stakeholders and the regulatory agencies in the sector,” said Mr. Lawrence.

He noted that under the Green State Development Strategy, the Town of Bartica is earmarked to become a model Green Town and, therefore, appropriate for the launch of these inter-agency outreaches. He also encouraged all in attendance to take advantage of the presence of the senior technical officers from the relevant agencies. The residents of Bartica posed a number of questions to the agencies and received appropriate answers and clarification on issues.

According to the Ministry of Natural Resources, the exchanges were lively and vibrant and the residents had the opportunity for further one-on-one discussion with the representatives of the agencies after the stakeholders’ engagement concluded. Similar stakeholder engagements are planned for the towns of Lethem and Mahdia in the coming weeks and the dates will be announced when finalized. The MNR encouraged residents of these towns to document their issues and come ready to engage the agencies.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :
Facebook
Twitter
WhatsApp

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

All our printed editions are available online
emblem3
Subscribe to the Guyana Chronicle.
Sign up to receive news and updates.
We respect your privacy.