THE International Monetary Fund (IMF) has commended the Government of Guyana for its an anti-corruption efforts and steps to strengthen its governance framework.
In a report documenting the conclusions of its Article IV Consultation with local authorities, the IMF said: “Staff commended the authorities’ progress in strengthening AML/CFT, governance, anti-corruption frameworks, and support further advances in their effective implementation.”
According to the IMF, the authorities have continuously engaged with the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF) to prepare for the scheduled fourth round of mutual evaluation currently underway and are further strengthening the AML/CFT framework.
Guyana has approved a National Policy and Strategy for Combating Money Laundering, Terrorism Financing, which addresses the risks identified in its 2021 National Risk Assessment and introduced in parliament legislative amendments to the AML/CFT Act.
Several pillars of the anti-corruption framework have been further strengthened, including the Integrity and Public Procurement Commissions and the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board.
The efforts of the Integrity Commission led to a significant increase in the number of timely asset declarations of public officials.
Guyana’s authorities are also working to further strengthen their anti-corruption efforts, undergoing a review of the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) and the sixth round in the Follow-Up Mechanism for the Implementation of the Inter-American Convention against Corruption (MESICIC).
In April 2023, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira said that anti-corruption legislation is integral to building a democratic framework and fostering sustainable development.
Minister Teixeira said that the “eyes and ears” concept is important in building the anti-corruption framework.
The concept refers to a strategy that involves encouraging members of society to act as vigilant citizens and report any suspicious or corrupt activities they may observe. She said there is still a need to involve people at the grassroots level to strengthen the anti-corruption structure.
“In every community in Guyana, there is a senior citizen who is watching like a hawk from their veranda or back step what is happening in the community, what they are doing with the road, how much sand they are using, how much gravel, how long they work…we have to give credence to these persons who do recognise the value of money,” the minister noted.
She stressed that people need to be encouraged to become the eyes and ears of anti-corruption.
“We are to look at what kind of interactions, interventions [and] innovations to reward and to recognise the community reporters. I think we need citizen anti-corruption reporters to actually give that credibility and importance,” the governance minister added.
The minister also highlighted the value of citizen reporters in holding government and private sector agencies accountable.
She said that people must get value for their money, resources must be utilised strategically, and transparency and integrity must permeate every transaction done in the interest of development.
