The
official opening was chaired by the Secretary of SASOD’s Board, Alana Da Silva,
and was attended by members of the diplomatic corps, representatives of United
Nations agencies, other special invitees, in addition to the civil society
participants.
John
Quelch, Project Coordinator, presented an overview of the project by highlighting
the objectives and the intended outcomes of the training. Quelch stated that,
“the training programme we are opening today marks a substantial part of the
training phase, and is intended to bring
together a wide cross-section of civil society stakeholders from the length and
breadth of Guyana and to provide them with a thorough and focused introduction
to and appreciation of the principles and practices of effective public-policy
advocacy and to prepare them for successful involvement in Guyanese
public-policy consultations and decision-making which affect their lives and
the communities they represent.”
The three-day training is part of a process
that would better inform the APNU-AFC Coalition Government on how to address
the issues affecting vulnerable groups. It also intends to charge civil society
to take pro-active measures to have these issues addressed in keeping with the APNU-AFC’s
promise in its 2015 elections manifesto which states: "We commit to putting in place measures which
will ensure that all vulnerable groups in our society, including women,
children, persons with disabilities, rural and Indigenous women, youth, the
elderly and the sick and pregnant and those marginalised because of sexual
orientation are protected and not discriminated against."
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| Head Table (From left to right): SASOD’s Board Secretary, Alana Da Silva; Head of Bilateral Cooperation, Delegation of the European Union to Guyana, Benedikt Madl; Commonwealth Consultant, Gordon Floyd; and SASOD’s Project Coordinator, John Quelch. |
The
Hon Minister of Governance, Raphael Trotman was programmed to deliver brief remarks at the opening ceremony. However, he was unable to attend but he did
send his prepared remarks which were read by SASOD’s Managing Director, Joel
Simpson. In his remarks, Minister Trotman, underscored the work and importance
of civil society organisations. He noted that “an active, vibrant, well-informed
populace is critical to ensuring that its interests are addressed by its
leaders and civil society’s advocacy is the vehicle through which this goal can
be achieved. Advocacy should not be seen
however as an excuse for the trampling of the rights of others in an effort to
achieve group goals but rather must be exercised with the intention of building
relationships and strengthening democracy.
Civil society organisations that actively work with the most vulnerable
are best positioned to inform and guide the process towards the creation of
public policies that are inclusive and effective.” Minister Trotman reiterated
the Government’s commitment to partnering with civil society to address issues
affecting marginalised groups. He emphasised that the Government of Guyana is
one for all peoples in this land and embraces active, respectful engagements
with representatives of civil society in the creation of policies and in their
implementation. “The right to access to information and participation in the
formulation of policies and programmes is enshrined in a number of our critical
laws including the Access to Information Act and are being upheld by this new
administration,” noted Minister Trotman.
In
closing, he encouraged civil society participants at the training to continue
to work for a better Guyana. He accentuated that, “the development of Guyana
depends largely on the ability of its diverse groups to collaborate and make
decisions that move the country forward.
As such, I call on each of you participating in this capacity building
exercise to envision over the next three days how you can positively influence
and impact the creation of a better Guyana, a more informed and cohesive
Guyana.”
The
closing address was delivered by Mr. Benedikt Madl, Head of Bilateral
Cooperation, Delegation to the European Union to Guyana, who urged civil
society organisations to remain steadfast in advocating for their issues to be
addressed. He highlighted, “the role of your organisations in voicing the
concerns of society's disadvantaged cannot be underscored enough. You are
usually the first in responding to victims of gender-based violence, child
molestation and abuse, denied basic human rights to the LGBT community while at
the same time advocating for policy change. You therefore are that vital bridge
between the policy-makers and the general populace. Augmenting your advocacy
capacities will therefore certainly allow you to achieve your goal of proper
representation of the communities and fora you represent. This is the most
opportune time to ensure effective and efficient advocacy. As the new Government plans and charts its
course for the next five years, your approach in advocating for the change that
you want to see for the communities that you serve is crucial.” One of the main
tenets on which the European Union's work is pillared is the defence of human
rights. He concluded by lauding the work of the GEF. “I am happy to see that
your advocacy efforts are being undertaken under the umbrella of the Guyana
Equality Forum (GEF) and I want to commend the synergies that you are
creating. Collaborative work always
lends greater strength to advocacy efforts,” he said.
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| Civil Society participants |
SASOD’s
Advocacy and Communication’s Officer, Schemel Patrick delivered the vote of
thanks expressing gratitude to the European Union in Guyana for their
continuous support towards the advancement of human rights through
strengthening civil society in Guyana and for funding the Guyanese Vulnerable
Communities Capacities Strengthening Project. She also thanked the civil
society partners in the GEF for committing to participating in this process and
the public policy advocacy process.
The
three-day training was facilitated by the project’s three consultants drawn
from the Commonwealth, Gordon Floyd; Caribbean, Deborah Nurse; and Guyana,
Kesaundra Alves.
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