In an effort to strengthen openness, transparency and accountability with a wider range of stakeholders, the International Development Agencies (IDAs) will be hosting a reception on Tuesday with Government members, Members of Parliament, civil society and other relevant partners.

The event which is slated for 6pm at the Georgetown Club is supposed to be launching of “a series of events intended to establish a productive dialogue with different stakeholders throughout Guyana.”  The IDAs are hoping to make this reception an annual one.

The agencies involved in this venture are the European Union (EU), the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), the UK Department for International Development (DFID), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the United Nations (UN), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the World Bank (WB).

At a joint press conference held yesterday at the UNDP building on Brickdam, UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP) Resident Representative Kiari Liman-Tinguiri said that the aim of the programme was to facilitate more diverse forms of dialogue on work being done in Guyana. Reading from a prepared statement, he said: “Together with Government, Members of Parliament, civil society and other relevant stakeholders, the IDAs want to create dialogue on the work being done in Guyana.”   Liman-Tinguiri further stated that “this interaction and particularly the feedback from stakeholders are expected to enhance future programmes, making them better tailored to the needs of the country.  He opined that as a consequence of this, the various outcomes of the IDAs programmes “in various thematic areas could be maximized”.

Also present at the press conference were Head of CIDA Raymond Drouin, WB Country Representative Giorgio Valentin, EU Ambassador to Guyana Geert Heikens, Mission Director of US-AID Carol Horning, IDB Country Representative Marco Nicola and Nicola Jenins of DFID.

Quizzed about the reason behind the new initiative, several of the representatives explained that the efforts of the various agencies were only known among certain section of the society and the new initiative is an attempt to make more persons aware of what is being done by the donor agencies to develop the country.  Horning explained that another reason for this is that there exists some confusion about the role donor agencies play. She said it was not just about projects being completed or grants being provided but that there was a genuine interest in having dialogue with Guyanese. She explained that the agency she represents has a Corporate Development Fund and she said for it to be effective, dialogue, especially with members of the private sector, was important.

Asked what the other initiatives the donor agencies would engage in as part of this new venture, Liman-Tinguiri said that sectoral or topical dialogue may constitute part of this exercise. He also pointed out that all this was being done within the framework of Palace Declaration. According to him, among the main aims of this declaration is to ensure that the assistance provided by these agencies will provide maximum assistance to those who receive it.

Asked if there were issues with transparency and accountability as it related to projects, the various representatives said that there were internal systems and check to ensure accountability and transparency. They also stressed that this was a mutual responsibility shared between the agencies and the government.

Heikens noted that issues such as transparency, accountability and governance have been appearing in the local press much more in recent months since his arrival in Guyana. While pointing out that such an interest was good, he stressed that these were not issues related to Guyana alone.  He said that in relation to these concerns Guyana was “on a way” and that this was part of a journey that “we’ve all embarked on.”