The Guyana/Brazil Frontier Committee yesterday held a virtual extraordinary meeting to discuss challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and cross border movement between the two countries.
A press release issued by the Foreign Affairs Ministry said officials from the two States focused on a number of areas, including the impact of the pandemic on regional economic activity, indigenous communities along the border, illegal crossings, security, joint patrols, support for vulnerable groups and trafficking in persons. They also discussed measures to coordinate efforts to support the health and safety of the region.
“Given what we have been seeing with regard to the COVID-19 cases on both sides, we should have a discussion to ensure that we are coordinating our responses to the pandemic as closely as possible,” Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ambassador Charlene Phoenix, leader of Guyana’s delegation to the virtual summit, was quoted as saying.
As a result, the two States committed to combining efforts for information sharing, especially in local dialects as well as in English, Portuguese and Spanish, to all communities along the border. They also expressed the intent to explore additional measures to keep the communities safe throughout the course of the pandemic.
Furthermore, the delegations shared the challenges they faced in their respective efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
On the part of Guyana, according to the Regional Health Officer of Region Nine (Upper Takutu/Upper Essequibo), Dr Naail Uthman, while the region continued to adhere to the measures implemented by the National COVID-19 Task Force (NCTF), a major challenge was the effective monitoring of the lengthy border shared by Guyana and Brazil as many of the border communities had illegal crossing points.
“Officially, we have facilitated on Thursdays only the movement of goods and services from Brazil on which we know Guyana depends heavily,” he said.
Dr Uthman further explained that a team had been established at the port to sanitize those goods and services.
The respective delegations were led by Ambassador Phoenix and Ambassador of the Federative Republic of Brazil to the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, a Maria Duclos Carisio.
Guyana’s delegation also comprised Ambassador to Brazil, George Talbot, Consul General to Boa Vista Shirley Melville, and a number of representatives from the Ministries of Public Health, Communities, and Social Protection and from the Department of Citizenship.
The previous meeting of the Guyana/Brazil Frontier Committee was held in Bonfim, State of Roraima, Brazil on October 30 and 31, 2018.
Guyana was scheduled to host the eighth meeting. However, due to challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in both countries, the Government of Guyana recommended the organization of this extraordinary meeting.
The Guyana/Brazil Frontier Committee was established on September 14, 2009 to address joint action between the border communities, the release noted.
