EU Ambassador meets with Hon. Attorney General
-express support for Guyana’s legal sector
Head of Delegation of the European Union in Guyana, Ambassador René Van Nes on Friday, February 24, 2023 paid a courtesy call on the Honourable Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Mohabir Anil Nandlall, S.C, M.P at the Attorney General’s Chambers, Georgetown. During their engagements, Ambassador Van Nes expressed an interest in fostering a closer relationship with Guyana’s Attorney General’s Chambers and Ministry of Legal Affairs and extended support through various programmes offered by the European Union (EU) and its agencies.
Ambassador Van Nes informed the Hon. Attorney General of the El Pacto 2.0 programme, the largest programme supporting the implementation of the Regional Team Europe Initiatives for Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) on justice and security. The project intends to consolidate and strengthen LAC regional and EU-LAC bi-regional structures and mechanisms for cooperation on justice and security matters; strengthen LAC’s overall rule of law environment and criminal justice institutions’ capacity to fight against transnational organised crime, including a focus on women and youth-specific concerns; as well as address specific challenges of transnational criminal markets of LAC organised crime namely, trafficking in drugs, arms, human beings and cultural goods; environmental and cyber-crimes.
Further, Ambassador Van Nes informed the Hon. Attorney General of the Support to the effective administration of Criminal Justice Systems in the Caribbean programme which aims to modernise and strengthen the Caribbean Forum of African Caribbean and Pacific States (CARIFORUM) participating countries’ court systems, processes, and services; and to train and equip judicial officers and court staff with skills and competencies necessary to deliver justice in a fair, transparent, efficient and timely manner. The project intends to support the judicial reform agendas of participating countries by building the capacity of trial and appellate courts, including the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), to improve court governance, customer-focused services, case flow management and case disposition. Additionally, Ambassador Van Nes pledged technical support on various matters.
The Hon. Attorney General thanked Ambassador Van Nes for his visit and expressed appreciation for the significant role the EU has played in Guyana, especially during the protracted five months following the March 2, 2020 General and Regional Election.
The Hon. Attorney General briefed Ambassador Van Nes on legislative amendments and other measures since implemented to prevent electoral transgressions, which takes into consideration the recommendations of the EU Election Observation Mission. He also briefed Ambassador Van Nes on the status of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry into the March 02, 2020 General and Regional Elections.