FOR the first time in the Caribbean, Guyana will introduce a Gender Empowerment and Equality Seal, and Budget 2026 sets the pace for this, along with other social programmes, including skills training for persons living with disabilities (PWDs), expanded support for vulnerable children and families, and senior citizens wellness hubs.
While encouraging the parliamentary opposition to remove their “peculiar political cataract,” Minister of Human Services and Social Security Dr. Vindhya Persaud, on Monday during the first day of the budget debate, said that the fiscal plan is designed to transform lives and not just balance books.
The minister said that the government is not just managing a plethora of fiscal projections, but is also nurturing a nation.
Deeming the gender empowerment and equality seal as “progressive,” Minister Persaud said that it will be provided through the public sector and private sector, and will focus on safer workplaces that allow for equal opportunities.
The minister pointed to the strides made under her ministry such as the ‘Learning Lab,’ which was commissioned in 2023 and was the first centre of this nature in Guyana, that was dedicated to the development and empowerment of PWDs.
She also pointed to the expansion of the programme to include climate-smart sustainable agriculture, garment construction and a number of other programmes.
The senior citizen engagement programmes, Golden Generation Hub and the Century Club were also highlighted by the minister, who highlighted how these programmes have positively impacted the lives of the elderly by bringing ease and comfort to the nation’s longest-serving citizens.
There has also been the advancement of the bridging the gap policy that focuses on men and creating safe spaces. Dr. Persaud said this policy has led to the commissioning of the first BRAVE Centre which targets the empowerment and healing of men.
We Invest Nationhood (WIN) Member of Parliament (MP) and former A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) MP, Natasha Singh-Lewis, during her contribution to the budget debates claimed that there is neglect in the social services sector.
The minister, in rejecting this claim, firmly contented: “I want to say that the budget 2026, is the first budget of five years and what the people of Guyana would have come to know about the People’s Progressive Party/Civic government, is that we don’t just build buildings, we build people.
“We don’t just create infrastructure that is meaningless. They are purposeful and thoughtful that improve the quality of lives of people. We don’t just have a budget that one must look at in silos. We have a budget that is integrated and comprehensive in its outlook, which says that as cabinet, as ministers of government, we work together to achieve the mandate of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic.”
SUPPORT FOR VULNERABLE GROUPS
Minister Persaud noted that within the last five years, the PPP/C government honoured its commitment by increasing old age pension, pushing back against the claims of inadequate support to the elderly.
WIN MP Singh-Lewis made mention of the death of 78-year-old David Trahaine, known to many as “Perkins,” claiming that his death was due to falling through the flooring at the Palms Geriatric Home, but Minister Persaud stated the deceased resident had passed away from cancer.
“It was unfortunate, but that resident passed away from cancer. Mr. Speaker, I am going to provide that report to you, because people should not come here, misinform the public and then leave this assembly,” she said.
She further noted that for the first time, the Ministry of Health is providing “life-saving” vaccines, including influenza vaccines, pneumonia vaccines, that will impact the lives of the elderly.
Turning her attention to women empowerment, Minister Persaud noted the strides that the Women’s Innovation & Investment Network (WIIN) has made in the lives of over 21,000 women nationwide.
Garment making, culinary arts, and training in non-traditional fields such as welding and electrical installation are some of the programmes included, the minister pointed out.
Using the World Economic Forum to provide international grading on how Guyana is progressing, she noted that Guyana moved up four places more in just one year.
She said: “We are now 31 of 149 countries in the world. We are ranked eighth in the Caribbean for our leadership on gender issues, and we continue to do it, whether we speak about health care, we speak about progressive gender policies, whether we speak about home ownership or education, we are narrowing that gender gap. We are narrowing that divide, and we must continue to do it.”
Minister Persaud also highlighted the significant investments in early childhood development such as integrated day-and-night care centres.
Parenting programmes, child abuse reduction programmes are a part of the strategy to protect vulnerable children as she emphasised: “Child abuse is very serious, and we have looked at the cases, and we have not only looked at the cases, we are working with parents. We have a very robust parenting programme. We have developed the programme, the manual, the workbook, and parents will benefit in our early childhood development centres, as well as in the communities from this parenting programme.”