Guyana-EU political dialogue: EU to help mobilise public, Private Sector investments in Guyana

…support also pledged on electoral reform, resolving Schengen visa issues

Coming out of the eight rounds of political dialogue between Guyana and the European Union (EU), the bloc has renewed its commitment to facilitating public and Private Sector investments in Guyana, as well as supporting the country in other areas, including electoral reform.
Dialogue between Guyana and the EU took place recently at Ramphal House, Foreign Affairs Ministry. The dialogue took place under the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP)-EU Cotonou partnership agreement, a framework agreement adopted in 2000 for collaborations between the two blocs of countries.
According to a statement from the Ministry, the EU reaffirmed its commitment to providing assistance to Guyana in a number of areas, including good governance, eco-tourism, public finance management, health and importantly, fostering business investment.
“The EU will remain a loyal supporter of civil society. A new modality will aim at mobilising public and Private Sector investments in Guyana. Promoting investments is part of the 300-billion-euro initiative global gateway, which aims at connecting Europe to the world via investments and partnerships on digital, climate and energy, transport, health, education and research,” the statement said.
Support was also pledged by the EU in resolving the issue of Schengen visa access, which was raised by Guyana during the meeting. Concerns have been expressed for some time that visas for Guyanese to travel to the EU still have to be processed in neighbouring Suriname. According to the Ministry, “the two sides agreed to continue working together to address the challenges that are currently being experienced.”
Guyana’s pioneering status as the first country to sign a Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) with the EU to promote the sustainable trade of legal timber, and the equally-historic US$750 million carbon credit sale Guyana recently embarked on with Hess Corporation, was also hailed by the EU.

Inclusive development
Meanwhile, Foreign Affairs Minister Hugh Todd remarked on the Government’s approach to development and oil and gas, as well as how the Government is facilitating inclusive development.
“Minister Todd also emphasised the need for small, developing countries like Guyana that has a number of inherent vulnerabilities, including vulnerability to climate change, to be fairly assessed when making decisions about economic support and cooperation,” the Ministry said.

Electoral reform
Guyana’s ongoing electoral reform was also acknowledged by the EU, which reiterated its commitment to support this process as a follow-up to the election observer mission it carried out in Guyana for the 2020 General and Regional Elections. Guyana, meanwhile, reiterated its commitment to “democracy, good governance, the rule of law, and human rights”.
The Government passed long-awaited amendments to the Representation of the People Act (RoPA) earlier this month, after impassioned debate from both sides of the House and arguments for and against the electoral reforms, which ran past midnight.
The Bill zeroes in on electoral challenges and loopholes that were evident during the 2020 polls and seeks to address them. Not only does the Bill increase the number of polling places, it also mandates the Registrar of Deaths submit the names of the deceased so they could be removed from the list.
The Bill also caps the number of electors that can be assigned to a particular polling station to cut down on the long lines and the subdivision of the regions. According to Section 6 (A) of the Bill, the polling districts of Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) and Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) will be divided.
The Bill also provides that the Statements of Poll (SoPs), among other certified forms, be distributed to the Chief Elections Officer and the Chairperson of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).
Additionally, it provides for the Returning Officer to post an electronic copy of the SoPs on the Commission’s website to be publicly viewed. Strict fines and penalties are attached for breach of these reforms in the amended Bill. (G3)