Dear Editor,
I refer to the letter in Stabroek News dated September 19, 2018, captioned `There is a great need for better planning, execution of construction projects’. I agree completely with the author. There is a general disregard for citizens in the anticipated and un-anticipated social and environmental effects of construction and other development projects in Guyana. However, citizens should know that there are or should be avenues on which they can present their grievances and these should be addressed.
The construction of the East Coast Highway is according to my understanding a Government of Guyana (GoG) project with funding from the Chinese Development Bank. I do not know if the Chinese Development Bank has social and environmental safeguards for its development projects. The Government of Guyana does not have social safeguards requirements, though it does have environmental safeguards, often not enforced by the Environmental Protection Agency. With regard to the Mandela Avenue Project, the project is funded by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) which has very clear and stringent environmental and social safeguards. IDB safeguard policies can be found at this link for those with internet access: https://www.iadb.org/en/about-us/sustainability-and-safeguards. The general intent of those safeguards is that the projects should minimize negative impacts on citizens and the environment. The ethos is “do no harm” and the projects should ultimately enhance the social and biophysical environments.
I would therefore implore citizens affected by both projects to inquire of the grievance mechanisms of the projects and utilize them to have their grievances recorded. In the case of the IDB funded project, there should be both an environmental and social development specialist to provide oversight of the contractors to ensure that the environmental and social safeguards are monitored and if there are issues, these are addressed immediately. These social and environmental safeguards cannot be minimized or eliminated because of budgetary limitations. Citizens should request from the contractor or the associated Ministry of the grievance mechanism. They should and also can call the local and or head office of the IDB in Washington DC and inform them of their grievances with the IDB-funded projects.
In addition to and as part of the safeguard policies these projects should have a well-developed stakeholder engagement and communications plan which should cover all segments of the project cycles and all stockholders especially the beneficiaries. These projects are for the beneficiaries and they should be able to provide inputs at all stages. This not only leads to better end product but promotes ownership by the community after the completion of the project.
Yours faithfully,
(Name and address supplied)
