Gov’t seeks to strengthen 16 anti-corruption agencies in Guyana

Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance Gail Teixeira noted on Monday that government has been busy this year with training programmes and workshops seeking to develop the 16 agencies that are a part of anti-corruption in Guyana.

She was speaking at the opening of the 2024 Human Rights and Anti-Corruption Expo at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, Liliendaal on Monday.

It is the third exhibition of its kind. It was formally opened by Prime Minister Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips and it seeks to raise awareness of human rights and what government agencies and constitutional bodies are doing to combat corruption.

This year’s two-day exhibition, launched in commemoration of International Anti-Corruption Day on Dec 9, features 43 exhibitors in 50 booths all dealing with human rights and anti-corruption

“We felt we needed to show the interconnection between corruption and human rights and the way in which corruption can diminish a country’s democratic institutions…programmes and work and resources that are meant for the taxpayers and the poor and the vulnerable,” Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance Gail Teixeira said.

The intention, she noted, was to make the link between corruption and human rights. To achieve this, she said several things are in place.

“We have a national coordinating committee on the two treaties against corruption and we’ve been building by training and other activities to build the recognition by the 16 agencies that are a part of that in what way they are part of the fight against corruption,” she explained.

“We’ve also created a fact sheet that describes Guyana’s anti-corruption framework. We have a national monitoring mechanism for reporting and follow up to our human rights conventions. We also have the national stakeholders’ forum….so we have been quite busy this year with training programmes and workshops,” she added.

Prime Minister Phillips said government continues to work with the ministry to ensure that the human rights of all Guyanese are protected.

“Grassroot movements, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), the private sector, play important roles in promoting awareness and fighting for justice,” he remarked.

“Corruption undermines democracy, corruption affects the rule of law, corruption affects economic development and trust in institutions, making anti-corruption initiatives essential for promoting fairness, transparency and accountability,” he added.

He said the government is committed to increasing anti-corruption activities, such as enforcing laws to criminalise corruption including bribery, embezzlement, fraud and abuse, and ‘whistle-blower’ protection, among other initiatives.