GUYANA has been making tangible progress in terms of important socio-economic indicators. A most recent gender-parity report places Guyana in 17th place in terms of participation in public life at the level of legislators, senior officials and managers. The report also placed Guyana, among a few others, in the first place for gender equality at the level of professional and technical workers globally.

The 2022 Global Gender Gap Insight Report is compiled annually by the World Economic Forum and has been measuring gaps between men and women based on a number of key indicators such as Economic Participation and Opportunity, Health and Survival, Educational Attainment and Political Empowerment.
The 2022 Report covers 146 countries including Guyana, which ranked 35th, moving up 18 slots from its 53rd ranking in 2021. Guyana is also ranked sixth in Latin America and the Caribbean region.

In the area of gender equality and political participation at the level of legislators, senior officials and managers, the country was ranked 17th place, while it ranked among the first when it comes to gender equality at the level of professional and technical personnel globally.

Significantly, Guyana ranked high with near equal rights when it comes to access to financial services, land and non-land assets.
These achievements speak highly of the people-centred approach to development embraced by the PPP/C administration right across the gender and ethnic spectrum of the country. More significantly, it is a manifestation of the proactive measures taken by the administration in terms of women’s empowerment.

Women in Guyana could apply for, and successfully acquire house lots, loans, mortgages, business registrations and other financial and non-financial assets, which place them in a competitive position in terms of entrepreneurial activities and financial independence.

The situation is no less stellar when it comes to access to educational opportunities, including tertiary education. Women dominate in terms of university graduates and from other tertiary-level institutions such as the Cyril Potter College of Education and the Georgetown School of Nursing.

Little wonder, the country is ranked first globally in terms of education attainment, sharing first place with countries such as Canada, the Netherlands, Jamaica and Brazil. Guyana has also tied for first place with other countries in terms of enrolment rates in both secondary and tertiary education.

These rankings are consistent with the 2022 UNDP Human Development Index Report on Guyana, which found that life expectancy at birth increased by 3.3 years and mean years of schooling increased by over three years. In the area of press freedom, Guyana has successfully moved up 17 places in the World Press Freedom Index to 34 out of 180 countries.
The World Press Freedom Index is a measure of the degree of freedom enjoyed by journalists and the media.

As noted in the report: “Respected journalists can generally work with complete freedom and independence. They are generally well-protected. Guyana is a parliamentary democracy where freedom of expression and the right to information are guaranteed by the Constitution.”

In terms of investment opportunities, Guyana’s international profile has shown consistent improvements since the return of the PPP/C to office in August 2020. Investor interest and confidence has never been higher as exemplified by the surge in local and foreign investments.

These are observations and findings made by reputable international bodies with no “political” biases. They come at a time when the country is making enormous economic progress. According to the World Bank, Guyana is currently experiencing a “growth boom” due to rapid development in the offshore oil-and-gas industry.

But as pointed out multiple times by President, Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali, our oil-and-gas resource, remarkable as the contribution may be to the economy, is not an end in itself, but the means to a much greater end, namely, to enhance the material and cultural standard of living of the Guyanese people.

From all indications, the country is making significant progress in that regard as the findings of several reports from reputable international organisations have confirmed.