Government actively addressing Amerindian marginalisation – Pearson tells UN forum

National Toshaos Council Chairperson Yvonne Pearson told the United Nations 10th Permanent Forum of Indigenous Peoples that Amerindians here are an integral part of Guyanese society, and the government has redoubled efforts to address issues affecting the indigenous people to help overcome centuries of marginalisation.

Pearson made the comments while representing Guyana at the forum held from May 16 to 27, 2011 at the UN headquarters in New York. UN radio reported Pearson as saying that, “apart from improved access to education and health, special attention is also being focused on boosting economic activities in community through livelihood programmes, which have contributed to the resuscitation of rural agriculture and the provision of employment and also addressed food security”.

The Toshaos Council’s head pointed out that the Constitution of Guyana guarantees the equality of all citizens, including Amerindians. She highlighted the revision of the Amerindian Act in 2006 as a tangible manifestation of this obligation.

” Moreover, there are ongoing training programmes and awareness sessions to enhance the knowledge of our Amerindian peoples of their human rights which is critical to our participation in decision-making and upholding the principles of free prior and informed consent,” the toshao continued.

Further, she said, “based on our knowledge of our rights and the global climate change situation, our indigenous peoples have been able to contribute significantly to the development of the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) in Guyana.”

Making it clear that Amerindians are not threatened by the LCDS, Pearson noted that they view it as a tool to better manage their land and resources. “The promotion and protection of the rights of Amerindians in Guyana is supported by varying mechanisms, including a Ministry of Amerindian Affairs, the National Toshaos Council and the Indigenous Peoples Commission,” Pearson posited. She maintained that, “these mechanisms have distinct responsibilities to enhance the status of our Amerindian peoples and respond to our legitimate demands and needs.” 

More needs to be done

Moreover, she stressed that while significant progress is being made on issues affecting Amerindians, there is still need to “hasten to underscore that more needs to be done.” In this regard, she anticipated that the Second International Decade of World Indigenous People (2010- 2020) would contribute in accelerating progress in addressing issues of concern to the indigenous peoples worldwide.

She also believed that the UN Forum on Indigenous Peoples has a pivotal role to play in focusing attention and encouraging attention towards these ends. In this regard, Pearson told UN radio that Guyana is particularly pleased at the election of Mr Bertie Shavier to the Permanent Forum of Indigenous Peoples. She expressed confidence that he would be able to contribute to the work of the forum given his wide experience as the chief of the Makushi people and his knowledge of the issues affecting indigenous peoples.