THE Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC) has advanced its constitutional mandate throughout August 2026 with nationwide “Harmony Tours,” expanded public education, and continued diversity training.
This comes at a time when the Media Monitoring Unit issued a record 48 cautionary warnings for ethnic hate speech in a single reporting period.
August’s flagship initiative was the ERC’s three-leg Harmony Tour, which brought children aged 10–15 together with parents, community representatives, religious leaders, Commissioners and staff to explore Guyana’s cultural, religious and historical heritage.
The tours ran over one week: Demerara on August 17, Essequibo on August 19 and Berbice on August 21, with participants welcomed into masjids, mandirs and churches, and taken to monuments, museums and communities that reflect the country’s multi-ethnic identity.
At each place of worship, faith-community representatives explained beliefs, practices and customs directly to visitors, an approach the ERC says encourages learning beyond one’s own tradition and builds appreciation, respect and tolerance through meaningful interaction.
Alongside the tours, the Commission maintained its public outreach, including at the Emancipation Expo at the National Park, where it engaged citizens on its mandate, complaints and investigative mechanisms, and ongoing harmony-building work.
The ERC also continued its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) training programme, delivering a session on August 28 for 31 staff of the Guyana Energy Agency focused on DEI principles, respectful workplace practices and awareness of the Commission’s constitutional role.
In its media monitoring report covering July 29 to August 24, 2026, the ERC’s Media Monitoring Unit issued 48 cautionary warnings to social media users for ethnic hate speech, up from 37 in the previous period.
The breakdown shows standalone racial slurs accounted for the largest share (18), followed by racially prejudiced remarks (12), racially derogatory statements (9), racially hateful remarks (4), racially divisive statements (2), xenophobic remarks (2) and one case of racial stereotyping.
Year to date, the Unit has issued 270 warnings between January and August 24, 2026, compared with 194 in the same period in 2025, with standalone racial and ethnic slurs leading infractions at 77, followed by racially prejudicial or insensitive remarks (58), racially derogatory language (45) and xenophobic content (21).
The Commission attributes part of the increase to expanded monitoring capacity and more systematic coverage of digital platforms, but warns that ethnically abusive content remains persistent and that online conduct must meet the same standards of decency and mutual respect expected elsewhere in national life.
The ERC’s Investigative Unit reports a consolidated caseload of 87 matters, made up of three cases from 2022–2023 (3.4%), 14 from 2024 (16.1%), 49 from 2025 (56.3%) and 21 from 2026 to date (24.1%), with only one new matter received during the latest reporting period.
In terms of status, 51 matters (58.6%) have been closed, seven (8.0%) completed and three (3.4%) withdrawn, while nine (10.3%) are pending Sub-Committee review, eight (9.2%) under active investigation, five (5.7%) pending legal advice, two (2.3%) still pending, one (1.1%) awaiting a statutory decision and one (1.1%) having successfully completed conciliation.
The Commission continues to urge the public to report experiences or observations of ethnic discrimination, hate speech or conduct likely to excite ethnic hostility. Complaints can be lodged at the ERC’s offices at 66 Peter Rose and Anira Streets, Queenstown, Georgetown; by telephone on 231-6265 or 231-6281; or by email to info@erc.org.gy.