The 18th Inter-American Conference of Ministers of Labour of the OAS focused on “sustainable development with decent work for a new era of social justice” and the roles of ministers in promoting this goal and other labour issues during economic crises.
Labour Minister Dr Nanda Kishore Gopaul represented Guyana as the First Meeting of the Working Groups of the Conference at the Organisa-tion of American States headquarters in Washington, DC held from October 9-11, a press release said.
The agenda included topics aimed at exploring global challenges to labour and how stakeholders including employers and trade unions are responding. Gopaul outlined Guyana’s efforts to pursue sustainable employment through various initiatives such as the Low Carbon Development strategy and other green initiatives started by former President Bharrat Jagdeo.
“The LCDS initiative aims at inviting donors and investors to pay for protection of Guyana’s 40 million acres of untouched rainforest through the sale of carbon credits, or investment in eco-tourism and other areas,” Gopaul said. The money generated is expected to be channelled towards development and protecting the coastline from rising sea levels.
The labour minister also spoke of Guyana’s efforts to move away from fossil fuel to other forms of electricity, such as the Amaila Falls Hydro Project, which is expected to provide a cleaner, more dependable and reliable source of electricity. Local communities are also expected to benefit from job opportunities during the construction, as well as opportunities for the expanded sales of goods and services.
The minister also made note of other initiatives that have been implemented to promote the use of alternative energy such as the Hinterland Electrification Programme where thousands of solar panels have been distributed to families in indigenous communities and the cogeneration plant at the Guyana Sugar Corporation’s Uitvlugt Estate, which uses bagasse to generate fuel instead of the traditional high fuel oil. He also referred to new initiatives that are being explored and undertaken locally, such as studies conducted by the Institute of Applied Science and Technology (IAST) to examine the feasibility of converting waste plastic to roofing materials and discarded tyres to materials for road building.
The three-day meeting is part of the preparation process for the Ministerial Con-ference of the OAS for labour ministers of members states and other leading officials from the labour sector, including trade unions, the Trade Unions Technical Advisory Council and the International Labour Organisation to discuss and consent to a list of priorities, challenges and actions to be taken in the region on issues of work and employment.
