Govt officials set to represent Guyana in Chile, UK, Cuba and Trinidad

DPI, Guyana, Thursday, May 16, 2019

Several government officials are set to represent Guyana overseas and also to attend training sessions.

Firstly, Minister of Finance Winston Jordan is set to attend the 49^th Annual meeting of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) to be held in Trinidad from June 3 to 7.

This was announced today by Director General of the Ministry of the Presidency, Joseph Harmon.

DG Harmon noted that Cabinet continues to approve travel for a wide cross-section of public officers to represent Guyana regionally and internationally and to gain exposure and experience which will benefit the country’s development drive.

The CDB meeting will focus on the impact of the bank’s investment in its 19 borrowing countries and also strategic discussions on resolving some of the Caribbean Region’s most pressing developmental issues. The meeting will also seek ways to enhance the bank’s effectiveness and responsiveness to its borrowing members.

Additionally Richard Maughn, Chief Executive Officer of Board of Industrial Training (BIT) is currently attending a workshop on Skills for the Future to be held in Santiago, Chile. This workshop organised the by Organisation of the American States will discuss actions to be taken to strengthen coordination among the Ministry of Education, the Department of Labour and vocational training institutions.

Donna Yearwood, Head of the Debt Management Division of the Ministry of Finance will soon be off to London, United Kingdom. She will represent Guyana at the Commonwealth Secretariat Public Management Forum and launch of the Commonwealth Meridian which is slated for June 5 and 6. The forum to be held under the theme “Public Debt Management Transition and Innovation” is designed to assist Commonwealth member countries to strengthen their debt management capacity through their application of the Commonwealth secretariat’s new improved Public Debt Management Software – Meridian.

The forum will also bring to the floor relevant policy matters such as the changing face of financing government and natural disasters, and also transparency in public debt management.

And finally, the signing of the Treaty establishing the Caribbean Customs Organization (CCO) was granted cabinet’s approval. It is intended to provide the proper legal basis and widen the scope of the Caribbean Customs and Law Enforcement Council (CLEC) which was established in 1970 for customs administration within the Caribbean region.

The new legal status will allow access to funding and resource endowment by international financial institutions. The treaty will also address the challenges of constraints, the sharing information in the fight against terrorism and organised crime as well as optimizing risk management systems.

Director General Harmon also noted that “cabinet in granting its approval has agreed that Guyana will signal to the CLEC secretariat its intention to sign the treaty establishing a CCO in Havana, Cuba (this month).”

Rebecca Ganesh.

Image: Anil Seelall.