Marginalised Groups Prepare to Engage Next Government on Rights Policy Issues

The Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination, on Thursday April 16, 2015 hosted the Civil Society Stakeholders Consultation for the Guyanese Vulnerable Communities Capacities Strengthening Project, funded by the delegation of the European Union to Guyana, which aims to build civil society capacity to better engage policy decision-makers at all levels of government. The two-day conference, held at the Grand Coastal Hotel at Le Ressouvenir, East Coast Demerara, marked the end of the first phase of the project. Chaired by SASOD’s Social Change Coordinator, Chelauna Providence, the conference’s opening was attended by representatives of civil society groups working with marginalised communities, members of the diplomatic corps, representatives of the United Nations and other special invitees.

John Quelch, Project Coordinator, opened the ceremony highlighting the objectives of the project and the intended outcomes that will benefit the work and advocacy of civil society organisations (CSOs) representing marginalised communities. Quelch outlined the three phases of the project and the relevance of each to its eventual success. The first phase concludes with this consultation with members of civil society, on the findings of Baseline and Mapping Studies, conducted by the three consultants drawn from the Commonwealth, Gordon Floyd; Caribbean, Deborah Nurse; and Guyana, Kesaundra Alves. The Baseline Study measures the current level of capacity among Guyanese civil society to engage in public policy advocacy on behalf of vulnerable groups. The Mapping Study describes the processes by which policy decisions are made in the Guyanese context and highlights key opportunities for civil society to intervene and participate. Quelch related that the project is timely in light of upcoming elections. “Guyanese civil society will now be more equipped to engage the engage the next government and twelfth parliament on behalf of the marginalized groups we serve. We are preparing to take collective and pro-active action to have human rights issues addressed now – both during the campaign and when the next government and parliament takes office after the May 11 polls. We are no longer waiting. Our issues must be addressed now,” Quelch said.

Local Civil Society Groups Raise Discrimination with OAS Human Rights Body

A delegation of four organizations representing the Guyana Equality Forum (GEF) presented on “Discrimination in the enjoyment of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in Guyana” at a thematic hearing before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) at its 154th session of hearings in Washington, DC, last Friday, March 20, 2015. The IACHR is a principal and autonomous organ of the Organization of American States (OAS) whose mission is to promote and protect human rights in the American hemisphere. The Commissioners present at the hearing were Prof. Rose-Marie Belle Antoine, Chair of the Commission, James Cavallaro, Rapporteur for Guyana, and Felipe Gonzalez.
The petitioners representing the GEF were the Sisterhood of Support, Services and Sustainability (S4) Foundation, Guyanese Organisation of Indigenous Peoples (GOIP), Deaf Association of Guyana (DAG) and the Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination (SASOD). The GEF is a network of local civil society groups working for equal rights in Guyana.

Petitioners representing the Guyana Equality Forum (GEF):, SASOD’s Joel Simpson, DAG’s Sabine McIntosh, GOIP’s Colin Klautky, S4’s Imarah Radix and SASOD’s Schemel Patrick