Villages briefed on Sustainable Development Framework Agreement

Nov 24, 2016 News

Participants at the meeting

Maruranau, Shea, Rupanau, Sand Creek, and Shulinab in Region Nine, South/Central Rupununi are among the most recent villages where discussions were held on the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs much touted Sustainable Development Framework Agreement.

The Ministry is receiving considerable support from Conservation International Guyana for this initiative which seeks to outfit villages with a framework aimed at ensuring they are strategically positioned on a sustainable developmental path.

Staff from the Ministry and Conservational International returned from the Rupununi over the weekend following a week-long discussion with the villages.

Project Coordinator in the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs, Jude Da Silva, during a village meeting in Sand Creek on Thursday reiterated the need for communities to become more accountable and self-sufficient hence the drive in this regard.

“It is important that the village councils have the community development plan so coordination and coordination from NGO’s are important …This policy that we have will bring all the stakeholders together so we can see how the money you would receive can be best used or can coordinate the best kind of investment,” Da Silva said.

Under the Sustainable Development Framework villages will be required to produce a long term (10 years) Community Development Plan (CDP), where programmatic areas will be outlined, projects and targets prioritized based on the respective CDP’s coupled with an effective feedback mechanism.

A number of villages in Region Nine have successfully completed their long term plan and according to C.I’s Community Development Assistant, Kayla de Freitas, “work will soon begin on completing their Annual Village Plans to be implemented during the coming year.”

Villages will have to submit their proposal to the Ministry by May each year together with a proposal for funding. The same timeline will be instituted for projects that are to be submitted to any other government agencies.

Technical Coordinator for C.I’s Livelihood Enhancement Project in the Rupununi, Rene Edwards, emphasized the need for the implementation of such mechanisms aimed at improving the social and economic livelihood within village economies.

“What has happened over time is that things have changed and things continue to change. One of the big changes that we have had is the introduction of cash into the way of life of village economies.

“What we have seen is that the customary part that remains strong, including your land, languages, traditional practices, culture and your own laws and institution, we don’t want to disrupt, but to build on these things.”

When the programme was launched early last month Vice President and Minister of Indigenous People’s Affairs, Sydney Allicock, said that this policy framework will ensure efficient and effective financial and technical support directed to the villages for social, economic and cultural development.

“We cannot allow this to continue so there must be a system that will help to alleviate the problem and hence the Sustainable Development Agreement Framework which we hope can rectify most if not all of these short comings.”

“Villages will be in a position to know what their annual priority projects are and send it to the Ministry and the REO in time to be placed into the Ministry and RDC’s Annual Budgets.”

More than 30 villages in Region Nine were engaged this time around. Similar exercises are scheduled for Parikwarinawa, St. Ignatius, Moco Moco, Nappi, Yupukari and Katoka shortly.

Discussions will be held in Mainstay/Whyaka in Region Two next weekend.

Late last year the Ministry began formulating the Sustainable Development Framework Agreement which aims to create viable economies within villages and communities.