US prepared to offer more COVID-19 aid to Guyana - ambassador
-hails cooperation with police force
With US$1.7M already committed in April, the United States on Saturday said that its help to this country to fight the novel coronavirus is not yet over.
“Due to the COVID-19 virus, we suffered many losses; some have lost their lives. And because we are all in it together, the US government is proud to have committed robust assistance to Guyana for its effort to fight COVID-19 and our assistance is not yet over,” the US Ambassador to Guyana said on Saturday during the embassy’s virtual celebrations to mark the country’s 244th year of independence.
The US envoy said that 2020 will go down in history, around the world, as “a landmark year which has changed the way we interact, work, travel, shop, learn and worship.”
But she remarked that this year has also brought with it a growth in social movements around the globe, relating to racial equality. “Protests erupted in response to the death of George Floyd in Minnesota and citizens expressed their concerns by peacefully, taking to the streets to petition the government for redress. Peaceful protest is a part of a great American tradition and these protestors reminded us all that social change is a work in progress in America and needs constant attention,” the Ambassador said.
“Eliminating discrimination and inequality across the globe is not only the morally just thing to do, it is also necessary for sustainable, inclusive and economic growth and prosperity,” she added.
She believes that her “right to speak” and “your right to protest” together with collective work towards the promise of a better tomorrow, “is all part of what it means to be a responsible citizen in a free society”.
And as the US works with countries to ensure inclusivity and equal economic opportunity, the US government, Lynch said, remains focused on rooting out inequality.
Turning to work done with this country over the year, the Ambassador said that Washington values exchanges with hemispheric partners like Guyana, in finding solutions to challenges that impede growth and development.
“I am proud of the work we have done in Guyana this year, despite all of these challenges for example, our law enforcement partnership underscored the universality of human rights ensuring their progress focused on building investigative and prosecutorial skills including awareness of bias motivated violence. They address the challenges police officers face in maintaining public order while protecting the rights of citizens and encouraging citizen involvement in maintaining a safe and law abiding community,” she said.
“Our cooperation with the Guyana Police Force this year has led to several international fugitive returns of criminals trying to evade prosecution and the penalty of the law. This year, we also saw the growth of a local chapter of the overseas security advisory council; a collaboration between private sector and law enforcement to promote security cooperation and by extension prosperity,” she added.
And in governance and democracy, the US’ political and economics section, she said facilitated two congressional visits over the past year, from the House’s
Foreign Affairs Committee, “signaling unprecedented engagements on governance, prosperity and security”.
“We also provided technical assistance to Guyana’s elections commission and funded a substantial observer mission for an election that has lasted many months. Our team also worked hard to provide for bilateral trade, advocating for and eventually welcoming a new US flag carrier which turned out to be instrumental in the repatriation effort both for Americans returning to the United States as well as Guyanese stranded abroad to return to Guyana,” she added.
Noted too was the US’ New Horizons 2019 humanitarian and civic exercise which saw 600 US troops working across the country to build three community centres and a women’s shelter while also providing medical access to over 13,000 sick persons.
“With a total investment surpassing US$8M, the US government has proven that once again there is no cost too big when it comes to their steadfast commitment to our partners,” Lynch said.