Latest update March 29th, 2024 12:59 AM
Jun 21, 2015 AFC Column, Features / Columnists
In early June, Guyana was tangibly recognized at the 39th Session of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO)’s Biennial Conference for meeting the first of eight (8) Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The award was accepted by Minister of Agriculture, Noel Holder in Rome, Italy, and Guyana was acknowledged for meeting the more stringent World Food Summit (WFS) goal of reducing the absolute number of undernourished people between 1990-92 and 2010-2012, and halving the proportion of people who suffer from hunger.
Guyana was one of four countries in CARICOM that received special honours for having met either the World Food Summit (WFS) targets and/or the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of reducing the incidence and prevalence of hunger and poverty.
Guyana officially adopted the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in Year 2000. These goals address eight (8) common (i.e. among under-developed and developing states) societal shortcomings which the United Nations aims to eradicate by year 2017 thereby significantly improving the quality of life for the people living in the identified countries.
The MDGs as outlined by the UN are as follows:
MDG 1 – Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger. In Guyana this translates into proactive programmes to encourage more lucrative agricultural enterprises that would generate greater revenue streams and ensure food security.
We have achieved private sector buy-in and entrepreneurs are contributing in larger numbers to the growth of non-traditional industries – beekeeping, craft production, fashion, cuisine art, music, Call-centres and other ICT-related businesses, and a wide range of services. But there’s more to be done. Large scale companies could contribute more to on-site mentoring of new micro entrepreneurs, and integrate their operations by purchasing raw materials from local growers and processors.
MDG 2 – Achieve universal primary education through public and private sector support for continuous literacy programmes, for the resuscitation of community libraries, reading groups and after-school programmes.
MDG 3 – Promote gender equality & empowerment through active support for woman entrepreneurship, small business development in rural communities, by facilitating access to funding, and aggressively addressing the phenomenon of male under-achievement in the education system.
MDG 4 – Reduce child mortality. The pillars of this goal are embedded in the quality of the overall health care delivery system. The new government has the unenviable task of building the health care system up from the primary level, from the acquisition of authentic pharmaceuticals to re-training of health care delivery staff, and rebuilding the physical facilities at hospitals and medical centres including operating theatres, outpatient reception rooms, trauma centres, kitchens and nurses’ and doctors’ resting facilities for example, then establish mechanisms for sustaining clinical cleanliness in these environments.
Reduced child mortality also depends on widespread nutrition education, especially for new mothers while they are being encouraged to strictly adhere to their children’s MCH clinic schedules.
MDG 5 – Improve maternal health. Achievement of this goal depends on the factors outlined in MDG 4, in addition to continuous education and sensitization programmes for pregnant mothers. The avenues for delivering this information include the pre-natal clinics which the young expectant mothers must be encouraged to attend, their attending physicians, and even through community health workers and programmes run by community centres. The Education system has a significant role to play in this scenario by injecting into the secondary schools curricula a programme that teaches responsible reproductive health and choices to adolescents.
MDG 6 – Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria & other diseases. This is one goal that Guyana is well on the way to achieving. The USAID-funded National AIDS Programme Secretariat reported a few years ago that HIV/AIDS cases in Guyana has reduced to 1% of the total population in 2009–2010, complying with the UNAIDS target of 1.3%.
To date, HIV prevalence among women in Guyana has remained at 1%. People at high risk e.g. sex workers, are still disproportionately affected however, showing an HIV prevalence of approximately 16%.
Today Guyana is no longer listed as a High Prevalence Country. This achievement follows a full-bore five-year workplace sensitisation programme that was conducted separately by the CARICOM Secretariat, the Guyana Responsible Parenthood Association and the Guyana Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS to stem stigma, to educate and inform, and to provide confidential access to treatment by those affected.
MDG 7 – Promote environmental sustainability. This programme has only just gotten underway, in earnest i.e. since the May 2015 inauguration of the newly elected APNU+AFC government. The subject of Environmental Management and Compliance with EPA regulations has been on the business radar for some years now, but with unenthusiastic acknowledgement and compliance.
However, the subject took up prominence in national discourses in recent weeks and there are concrete plans to boost environmental awareness through the formal education system. In addition to promoting green technologies and practices, the business community is being sensitized to the opportunities for new enterprises in waste disposal and renewable and alternative energy sources.
MDG 8 – Develop a global partnership for development. The objective is to encourage the business community to commit to the MDGs and voluntarily create incentive schemes for workers’ initiatives to make more meaningful investments in their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programmes by lending assistance, for example, to cleaning up and beautifying their host communities, to education or social protection initiatives.
Business owners may consider the benefits of promoting inclusive business models, e.g. creating in-country partnerships with small scale growers, processors and service providers and ultimately sharing their export markets.
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Guyana is on the way to achieving at least five (5) of the MDGs by our 50th Independence Anniversary in 2016. The goals that require longer term gestation periods are improving maternal mortality, gender equality in employment, full environmental compliance and international resource flows.
Compliance with the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) will obviously lead to growth in our ability to generate personal and national income and to reduction in our unemployment statistics.
Compliance leads to bigger and better economic opportunities, declining incidences of preventable, communicable and lifestyle diseases, morbidity and mortality, and ultimately our ability to trade our home-grown products on a level playing field in the international marketplace. Guyana then becomes more attractive for trade, aid and investments.
These outcomes are catalysts for business growth. They also provide the Private Sector with the motivation to play a much more dynamic and inclusive role in the growth and development of this nation and its peoples.
HYMN FOR GUYANA’S CHILDREN
By Valerie Rodway
With humble hearts and heads bowed down
In thanks for each new day of toil
We kneel before Thine altar, Lord
The children of Guyana’s soil.
Great is the task that Thou hast given:
Thy will to show, Thy truth to find:
To teach ourselves that we are one
In thy great Universal mind.
But not in vain we’ll strive to build
A new Guyana great and free;
A land of glory and of hope,
A land of love and unity.
O children of Guyana, rise,
Rise up and sing with happy tears:
And bless the land that gave you birth,
And vow to serve her through the years.
THIS IDIOT TELLING GUYANA WE HAVE NO SAY IN THE 50% PROFIT SHARING AGREEMENT WE HAVE WITH EXXON.
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