The United States Embassy today announced that the US Agency for International Development (USAID) plans to close its Mission in Guyana in Fiscal Year 2012 as part of its worldwide strategy to be more efficient in the management of its aid resources.
A release from the embassy said that the closing of the mission does not signal the end of USAID’s relationship with Guyana. “The United States Government, including USAID, will continue to remain involved in working with the government and people of Guyana to respond to key development challenges”, the release said.
The release noted that USAID and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) manage the President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (PEPFAR) programme here which focuses on reducing HIV transmission, mitigating the impact of illness, and strengthening the public healthcare system. It said that Guyana will also continue to participate in and benefit from the U.S. Government’s regional citizen security programme, the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI) which is focused on responding to the causes of crime and violence. The management of these programmes will be transferred to USAID’s Caribbean Regional Mission in Barbados to take advantage of efficiencies of scale.
The US embassy here has been without an ambassador for sometime now. Relations between Washington and Georgetown have been frosty in several areas particularly in respect to the fight against drugs.
Last week it was revealed that the World Bank representative here was being transferred to Jamaica. The move came months after a searing attack by the Guyana government on the office here.
