Guyana on correct path to human rights protection – Teixeira

Guyana is on the right path towards ensuring the protection of human rights, an achievement that has been influenced by the initiatives which the country has taken.

The establishment of commissions on women and gender equality, Rights of the Child, and the Indigenous Peoples, all attest to government’s commitment in ensuring that the rights of its people are protected.

Presidential Advisor on Governance, Gail Teixeira, in acknowledgement of International Human Rights Day, made this declaration as she recounted some of the achievements which Guyana has made over the years. 

According to a Government Information Agency (GINA) release, Teixeira said that, although Guyana has not had some of the human rights violations that are prevalent in many parts of the world, the country has introduced many reforms aimed at consolidating its democratic architecture over the last 18 years. 

Teixeira expressed Guyana’s support for the statements made by the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in relation to racial and religious discrimination and xenophobia, which still exist globally. 

Noting that the right to education and health is also limited for people in poor and vulnerable countries in the world, the presidential advisor said that Guyanese should be proud, since Guyana has achieved the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) universal access to primary education. 

“We must be proud as a country …we see that in many countries of the world children cannot go to school, and this is a major achievement for a country that came from absolute poverty with a collapsed economy in 1992,” she stated.

Another achievement that Guyana is proud of is that it is the only country in this hemisphere that has granted titled lands to indigenous people amounting to 14 per cent of the land mass of Guyana. 

This process is ongoing. In the Parliament, tremendous strides have also been made in terms of democratic governance. 

“We have human rights defenders, individuals and NGOs in Guyana, and a government which comprises individuals and leaders who have been part of the struggle for democracy and therefore have a level of sensitivity and consciousness about human rights. This combination is what makes Guyana special,” Teixeira stated.

The country has also been able to maintain the right to free and fair elections since 1992. This process is undermined in many parts of the world, and the right is taken away from citizens.

However, in Guyana, people have the right to vote, to have a government of their choice, and the right to education, health and housing. 

Guyana also made amazing strides in empowering women, and is listed among the top 25 countries in the world for having a gender balanced parliament.