–says Indigenous people are ‘central partners’ in country’s prosperity, transformation journey

PRESIDENT Dr. Irfaan Ali has reaffirmed his government’s commitment to the development and empowerment of Guyana’s Indigenous Peoples, whom he described as central partners in the country’s journey towards prosperity and sustainable transformation.

The Head of State made this known as he delivered the feature address at the opening ceremony of the National Toshaos Council (NTC) conference on Monday at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, at Liliendaal.

President Ali told Indigenous leaders from across the nation that the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) government stands ready to support their aspirations through consistent engagement and targetted investment.

“Once again, we gather to listen to your voices, to understand your challenges, to appreciate your specific circumstances, and through your individual voices as leaders of your communities, the collective voice of all our Indigenous people across this country,” he said.

This, he noted, is what the NTC brings, the collective voice of all Indigenous people across the country.

Describing the forum as a space for genuine dialogue and accountability, President Ali said, “I welcome you to a space and an environment that is listening; one that you can trust not only to listen to you, but one that you can trust to deliver to you.”
He went on to emphasise that his government has consistently demonstrated results, saying: “We don’t only listen, we consistently deliver on what we promise, and that is important. It is important to know that you have leadership that is respectful; respectful enough to honour its commitment to you, respectful enough to stay true to its commitment to you.”

Against this backdrop, President Ali said that the road to prosperity is being built, maintaining that development must be continuous and inclusive.

“We cannot afford to lose any momentum. We cannot afford to gamble with this road to prosperity; we cannot afford to lose sight of what is important for you, your communities and your village, and I assure you that this People’s Progressive Party/Civic government that I proudly stand and represent here would never ever abandon that road of prosperity for you and your villages,” he affirmed.

And, turning his attention to Guyana’s Low-Carbon Development Strategy 2030, which he noted Amerindian communities played a vital role in shaping, President Ali said:
“Today, we are expanding the LCDS to include biodiversity, as is in the LCDS 2030, and Guyana will be hosting the first Global Biodiversity Alliance right here in Guyana.”

He added: “Once again, you the leaders of our Indigenous community will have an opportunity to showcase to the world what sustainable development really feels like, looks like, and means.”

In outlining a broad range of continued investments the government will be making, going forward, President Ali said: “We in this government are committed not only to the expansion of our economy, but importantly we are committed to the expansion of opportunities in every village, in every single corner of our country.”

To this end, he stated that the government will continue to advance Amerindian land titling, maintain the nominal value of LCDS resources transferred to communities under their own management, and create more employment for these communities.

Additionally, Dr. Ali outlined that his government will also continue to invest in food security, saying: “You could be assured that under successive People’s Progressive Party/Civic governments, [we] will invest to ensure this food security in your villages. We will expand production, we will invest in food security, we will invest in financial empowerment.”

This, he said, will be done not only by increasing grants, subsidies and other direct financial transfers to communities, but through economic literacy, financial literacy, and the creation of various initiatives to empower and create opportunities.

He then pointed to a growing movement in Indigenous agriculture, saying:
“You are part of a revolution in the agricultural sector,” referencing ongoing projects in cage farming, honey production, coffee and cocoa cultivation, and high-value commodities.

“We are going to continue to make these investments so that not only will you have quality social services, but more importantly, you will manage those social services yourself,” President Ali affirmed.