Guyana’s Mission to UN identifying development partners to aid with projects

DPI, GUYANA, Friday, September 22, 2017

Guyana’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations has been identifying development partners to help Guyana in the establishment and implementation of projects in the country.

Ambassador Michael Ten-Pow, the Permanent Representative to the UN, heads the Mission located in New York.

Ambassador Michael Ten-Pow, Permanent Representative of Guyana to the United Nations.

Ambassador Ten-Pow, who was appointed to the post last year, noted that the Mission “serves as the conduit” for identifying these partners in the areas of technical assistance, capacity building, grants and the like for agencies in Guyana.

The Ambassador noted that these partnerships are ultimately aimed at helping Guyana fulfill the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which it signed onto.

Through the Mission, Ambassador Ten-Pow is working with United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS).  UNOPS is the implementing arm of the UNDP that assists countries to successfully execute projects.

“We had the good fortune to have some preliminary meetings with the head of the partnership unit”, Ambassador Ten-Pow said.

During President David Granger’s meeting with the Executive Director of UNOPS on Wednesday, discussions centered around assistance the organisation can offer Guyana to shape and frame needs into projects.

UNOPS does this through the provision of small grants and matching a country’s need with third-party partnerships.

“It’s a very exciting prospect and I believe…we will be hearing a lot about UNOPS and what we can do in the very near future”, the Ambassador noted.

Guyana has to identify projects towards this end and Ambassador Ten-Pow noted these “are large-scale projects”.

Guiana Shield project

Meanwhile, Ambassador Ten-Pow is working with his Surinamese counterpart to promote Guyana’s eco-tourism.

The two countries have been “promoting an idea concept” called the Guyana Shield project.  “This is the idea of offering potential tourists not only sites in Guyana but the Guiana Shield as a tourism product. We have started talks between Suriname and Guyana,” the Ambassador explained.

He noted that the UN World Tourism Organisation has committed to helping Guyana carry out a needs assessment with the aim of developing a national tourism development strategy.

The project is intended to help the two countries achieve economic progress and development as outlined by the SDGs. “Tourism is an important part, potentially of that range of activities that can contribute to the wealth and well-being of Guyana”, the Ambassador said.

 

By: Tiffny Rhodius

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