The Alliance for Change (AFC) commends the Ministry of Natural Resources, specifically the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) on its reform measures to contain gold smuggling and money laundering in Guyana. The AFC fully supports that respect for the rule of law is priority.
The AFC however, has concerns into several practices of the government of Guyana and its agencies specifically to that of the GGMC with regards to implementation of key aspects of mining laws and regulations and that of common law resulting from court judgements.
- The ongoing delay in issuance of gold trade licenses must also have a system that supports gold traders and especially the employees of these establishment as they have their families to support and therefore GGMC must have an interim response to meet these needs and situation; Guyana’s economy also needs to be secured.
- There are numerous reports of legal claims of small miners being revoked and reissued to bigger miners. This is posing a challenge to the small miners who are also trying to support their livelihoods and this goes for both indigenous persons and non indigenous.
- We call for transparent disclosure into the criteria being used in the reallocation of mining concessions as we need to ensure that there is equality in access to the use of the natural resources of Guyana and also that there is a system that ensures that effective monitoring of mining activities takes place with regards to environmental protection and human rights.
- We have witnessed how the government agencies, specifically GGMC lack of respect towards court judgements and this is specific to the Akawaios and Arecunas of the Upper Mazaruni.
- In December, 2022, a judgement made recognizing the aboriginal land rights of Indigenous Peoples and also called for government agencies to consult with and seek the consent of the Akawaios and Arecunas of the Upper Mazaruni on anything related to the issuance of land or concessions to any third party. Jawalla Village today is facing the lack of GGMC’s respect for court judgements and lack of implementing its role in ensuring that natural resource extraction also respects environmental and human rights protections as it applies to Indigenous Peoples.
- We call on GGMC and by extension the government of Guyana to respect the right to free, prior and informed consent of Indigenous Peoples. We also recognize that persons have invested and need to be supported in their investment and capital, but this must not take place at the blatant disregard to environment and human rights protections.
We call on the government of Guyana to respect Indigenous Peoples rights to healthy waterways and ecosystems that is needed to have thriving cultures.
