National agencies in Guyana are statutory bodies given mandate and established by an act of legislation. There are a number of national agencies found in Guyana operating across many areas including economic and social development, environment, infrastructure and education. Prominent examples include the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), established under the 1996 Environmental Protection Act, which is responsible for the regulation and coordination of, and promotion of public participation in, environmental protection; the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), established in 2000 by a constitutional amendment, which is responsible for setting policy for voter registration, maintaining the voter’s register and administrating all national, regional and local elections; and the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC), established under a constitutional amendment in 2000, which serves to promote equality and opportunity between ethnic groups and eliminate all forms of discrimination on the basis of belonging to such groups.
