Indigenous people not left out of LCDS benefits – Vice President

at least 15 per cent of income will go directly toward Amerindian community development

Amidst concerns emanating from the government’s new Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS), Vice President, Dr Bharrat Jagdeo on Monday alleviated fears surrounding the benefits indigenous communities will access.

Speaking to journalists at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC), Dr Jagdeo expressed his government’s full commitment to ensuring that the indigenous people of Guyana benefit directly from the strategy.

“In the LCDS, the money earned, we set aside a huge sum of money from that earned through the Norway Agreement to spend in the Amerindian communities of Guyana,” he announced.

The Vice President said a total of US $17 million has already been set aside for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) development in the hinterland, along with US$10 million for land titling activities.

Dr Jagdeo said further, that the government has already pledged to use a portion of all money earned from the project to development Amerindian communities.

“We have pledged that in any future sale of forest carbon, that at least 15 per cent will go directly to these communities, and if we can earn $500 million over the period, just imagine what 15 per cent of $500 million would be,” he detailed.

Earlier this year, the government allocated a total of $630 million towards the resuscitation of the Amerindian Land Titling Project (ALT) alone, while another $58 million was expended for the expansive development of Amerindian communities.

The investments in the indigenous communities of Guyana serve as yet another promise fulfilled by the PPP/C Administration to resume the LCDS and fund community development plans in the hinterland.