–President Ali tells UN

WHILE acknowledging the global inequity faced by Indigenous people, President Dr. Irfaan Ali has reiterated his government’s plans to continuously invest in the development of that section of Guyana’s population.

Dr. Ali, during his address at the recently held 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, told world leaders that Guyana is among very few states that have initiatives to support the Indigenous community.

“September is the month dedicated to Indigenous people in my country; we are aware that, globally, Indigenous Peoples are often left behind. Not so in Guyana. My government is investing heavily in Indigenous Peoples’ development, ensuring their inclusion and participation in decision-making at all levels,” President Ali said.

In fact, President Ali revealed that a titling programme spearheaded by the government has seen Indigenous people obtaining legal ownership of 16.4 per cent of Guyana’s land mass.

In addition to regular government investment, 15 per cent of all proceeds from the sale of carbon credits will go directly to Indigenous villages to finance their development.

“Guyana is the first country to implement such an initiative; we are proud of our record, and stand ready to share our experiences,” he said.

Earlier this month, the Head of State announced that billions of dollars will be allocated to them in the 2024 and 2025 budget cycles.

He made this revelation at the closing of this year’s National Toshaos Conference, where he said that for the first time, the Chairman of the National Toshaos Council (NTC) Derrick John will meet with the Minister of Finance during the budget consultation process.

The conference offers Indigenous leaders the opportunity to meet and interact with the country’s leaders, and make critical decisions regarding their livelihoods and development.
More than 200 Indigenous leaders from across the country attended this year’s conference.

The various community leaders were able to interact with government ministers and other officials.

Some immediate interventions were made, while plans were discussed for long-term interventions to address the priority needs of hinterland communities.

Some of these interventions include the delivery of 30,000 household solar units. This distribution is expected to begin shortly, and will see a government minister being assigned to specific communities to hand over the units, which are part of the first phase.

Meanwhile, during the conference, it was announced that an additional $16 billion will be invested this year to upgrade infrastructure in hinterland communities. Out of that sum, $6 billion will be spent on community roads.

Over the next three years, the government will also make massive investments to improve health care in the hinterland regions, building new hospitals and new health centres, and expanding services such as telemedicine.

Investments will also be made in agriculture and tourism. Training in these areas will be done to ensure that Indigenous youths can benefit from the ongoing developments, such as the establishment of several new hotels across the country.