- Welcome to Guyana
- Guyana in the Commonwealth
- Guyana joined the Commonwealth in 1966
- Guyana became an independent country on the 26th of May 1966
- Guyana has been competing in the Commonwealth Games since 1930, and has won 14 medals over this time
- Sir Shridath Ramphal was Commonwealth Secretary-General 1975-90
- Professor Bishnodan Persaud was Director of Economic Affairs, Commonwealth Secretariat, 1981-92, and member of the UN Secretary-General’s Committee for Development Policy 1994-2000
- Three Guyanese writers have won Commonwealth Writers’ Prizes: Pauline Melville (Best First Book 1991); Karen King-Aribisala (regional winner in 1991); and Mark McWatt (Best First Book 2006)
- West Indies cricket captain Clive Lloyd, born in Georgetown, Guyana (then British Guiana) in 1934, was Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World in 1975
- Guyana hosts a national chapter of the Commonwealth Human Ecology Council which has launched a natural resource management training centre with outreach activities in the local community
- The Government of Guyana, at the 1989 CHOGM, offered to set aside about 360,000 hectares of pristine rainforest for research to demonstrate methods for conservation and sustainable use of forest resources and biodiversity: as a result, the Commonwealth’s flagship Iwokrama Rainforest Programme was launched the following year
- The Commonwealth Youth Programme’s Caribbean Centre is based in Georgetown.
- With population density of 3 per square km, it is among the most sparsely populated states in the Commonwealth
- Among the developing countries of the Commonwealth, Guyana enjoys the greatest overall participation in education at all key stages of primary, secondary and tertiary (2004-06)
- Almost 77% of the total land area is covered by forest
- 2007 Commonwealth Finance Ministers Meeting in Georgetown
His Excellency Mr Irfaan Ali
President of Guyana
The welcome message from Mr Granger will be available shortly.
Guyana in the Commonwealth
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Commonwealth meetings hosted
Commonwealth Projects
Post Flood Disaster Assistance (2007/08)
The Commonwealth’s aim of this project was to strengthen the water management systems and restore to pre-disaster level (and higher) the provision to the public of services in water, health and sanitation. In 2004 and 2005 the country experienced unprecedented rainfall which caused serious flooding in the coastal regions. The presence of the flood waters led to a complete shutdown of all potable water supply systems, with consequent impact on lives and property, and an increased risk of more flooding. The country has a very complex water management system of dams, reservoirs, canals, sluices and kokers which drain into the Atlantic. Technical assistance was provided to rebuild and restore the water management systems and to train staff in the relevant agencies to improve flood management practices and strategies.
Support for Guyana Parliament (2007/08)
The Commonwealth provides a series of inputs to strengthen the capacity of the parliament of Guyana. In 2008 the Secretariat supported the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) in developing a Strategic Plan for the Guyana Parliament. The proposal was to then implement the plan and encourage other donors to do the same. The plan was launched in parliament, and donor coordination meetings were held to discuss a targeted approach to collaboration. Support for a CPA/CPAUK workshop on ‘Parliament and Media’ were also later provided.
Capacity Building of the Guyana Elections Commission (2005/06)
The Commonwealth Secretariat provided assistance to the Guyana Electoral Commission to help it meet international election standards for planning, managing and conduct of national elections. A Special Envoy to Guyana was appointed by the Commonwealth Secretary-General to assist in promoting reconciliation and dialogue between major political parties to facilitate peaceful and stable electioneering and elections.
Innovative Business Development at Iwokrama International Centre (2003/04)
An expert, funded for by the Commonwealth Secretariat, was provided to assist the new management of Iwokrama in developing and implementing innovative results-based management systems and to manage the change from an inward-looking research station, to an organisation that delivers measurable results with mass impact and marketing flair.
Archivist/Researcher, International Border Issues (1997/8 – 2001/02)
The Commonwealth Secretariat provided an archivist to assist with the compilation, cataloguing, storage and preservation of reference materials relevant to Guyana’s international borders, and to train local foreign affairs officials in relevant archival skills.
Guyana
in the Commonwealth Yearbook
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