–gov’t cites human rights safeguards
GUYANA has concluded a migration cooperation framework with the United States under which the country will accept a limited number of vetted, skilled individuals with no criminal record through the International Organization for Migration’s (IOM) Assisted Voluntary Return Programme, the Government of Guyana announced in a statement.
Under the arrangement, the government said in a statement, Georgetown retains full discretion to review and reject anyone proposed for relocation, and Washington will bear the entire cost of the process. The government said it intends to accept only people who have chosen relocation to Guyana of their own volition.
IOM, the UN Migration Agency, will handle the programme’s operational implementation, covering the costs of receiving, housing and supporting relocated individuals and providing the services needed for their integration, including access to communication with legal representatives and family members.
Guyana’s government said it will not bear any of the financial cost, and that IOM has confirmed the arrangement will not transfer to it any of Guyana’s own responsibilities over admission, legal stay, protection or removal.
Officials said relocated individuals must retain the right to seek international protection, with IOM supporting the referral of such cases to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in coordination with Guyanese authorities. The government also pledged regular, effective and sufficiently private access to legal representatives and family members.
The arrangement is temporary and does not amount to permanent resettlement, according to the statement.
Individuals will remain in Guyana under a set of pre-defined terms while they await the outcome of their immigration status determination, after which they will either return to their country of origin or relocate elsewhere of their choosing.
The framework caps more than a year of discussions.
The government cast the framework as an extension of Guyana’s human rights commitments and part of a bilateral relationship it says has grown across energy, trade, investment, security and diplomacy, describing Guyana as “a trusted and constructive partner” to Washington in the region.
The government said it would continue working with IOM, UNHCR and domestic stakeholders to ensure the framework is implemented in line with Guyana’s laws, human rights obligations and national development priorities.
