Sunday, September 23, 2018

Berbice Teams Dominate Civil Society Peace Day Games

On Sunday, September 23, 2018, the Guyana Equality Forum (GEF) held its third annual “Peace Day Sunday Fun Day,” celebrating the United Nations’ International Day of Peace, under the theme, “The Right to Peace: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights at 70.” The Fun Day saw the participation of GEF member organizations and Guyanese of all walks of life.

United Nations (UN) Resident Coordinator in Guyana, Ms. Mikiko Tanaka, delivered opening remarks and officially declared the games open. The UN Resident Coordinator referred to a recent report published by the Georgetown Law Human Rights Institute this year titled “Trapped: Cycles of Violence and Discrimination against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Persons in Guyana.” Tanaka stated “the “Trapped” report documents the heart-breaking plight of LGBT Guyanese. The discrimination and bullying that people experience on a daily basis because of their gender and sexual orientation are unacceptable. The act of discrimination or bullying disrespects the dignity of the affected persons, and violates their right to life, liberty and security. Furthermore, it fosters hate, prejudice, intolerance and division in society. Ignorance and indifference provide the fertile ground for hate and discrimination to grow like a cancer. It is so important to foster the voice and acts of conscience, reason, courage, compassion and understanding to curb this social cancer,” the UN envoy pleaded. 
UN Resident Coordinator Mikiko Tanaka at the GEF Peace Day Sunday Fun Day


Teams from civil society groups in Berbice dominated the games, including; United Brick Layers, who emerged as the champion team of day, and Comforting Hearts, who placed third at the end of the games. Both local groups are based in New Amsterdam. Family Awareness, Consciousness Togetherness (FACT) from Corriverton came in fourth place, while Guyana’s Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination (SASOD Guyana) placed second. The top three teams were awarded trophies. Competitors placing first to third received individual medals for all of the activities, which included a series of sprint and relay races, along with novelty games such as lime and spoon, jockey race, sack race, buns-eating competition and many others.

The third annual GEF Fun Day provided an opportunity for diverse civil society groups and Guyanese of all walks of life to come together through sports and entertainment to build peace, unity and social cohesion. This signature GEF events promotes Guyanese civil society working in unison for respect and protection of the rights of all people, regardless of race, age, religion, class, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, disability status, health status, or any other human characteristic, in keeping with the mandate of the network. 


United Bricklayers receives their trophy from GEF Manager, Joel Simpson (right)

The GEF is a network of civil society groups working cohesively to achieve equal rights and justice for all Guyanese. The GEF currently has 26 registered member organizations from across the coastal regions of the country. SASOD Guyana serves as the secretariat of the GEF. 



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