2024 Toshaos’ conference yielded positive results – re-elected NTC Chair

Re-elected Chairman of the National Toshaos Council (NTC), Derrick John, said one of the major accomplishments of this year’s meeting, which concluded on Friday, was the issuance of land titles and extensions received by three communities: Arrau, Karasabai, and Sawarraw.

This is the third time that John, from Moraikobai village in Region Five, has been appointed Chairman of the NTC. The annual meeting with toshaos from across the country was held over the past week at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, Liliendaal, East Coast Demerara.

In an interview, John told the News Room that many positives were derived from the conference, one of the biggest being significant progress with toshaos receiving their land certificates. “That’s a big accomplishment. Having that legal document speaks volumes of the government’s respect for the rights of the Indigenous Peoples,” John shared.

During his tenure over the next three years, focus will be placed on building the capacity of village leaders who are young and inexperienced. This is in an effort to ensure good governance in the communities.

John is also hoping to visit all 242 indigenous communities to help with their development.

As for his own village, one of their latest projects is the development of a 10-acre cassava plot. “We never had savannah cultivation; we have recognized the importance of our forest, and we are getting paid to keep our forest alive, so we have diverted from the forest and are now cultivating savannahs. This is something that has great potential because we have seen how the cassava is growing on our plot.”

The NTC is mandated to represent Guyana’s Indigenous Peoples and to plan and develop policies, programs, and projects aimed at sustainable development, general welfare improvement, and the promotion of the rights of the Indigenous Peoples, which include their human rights, land rights, preservation and promotion of their languages and culture, strategic planning, mitigation of climate change, protection, conservation, and management of forest and natural resources, village governance, and other social and economic projects.