Gov’t denies undermining work of GYEITI

Aug 27, 2025 News

Kaieteur News – The Ministry of Natural Resources has denied accusations that it is attempting to displace Policy Forum Guyana (PFG) from its long-standing responsibility for coordinating the selection of civil society representatives to the Multi-Stakeholder Group (MSG) of the Guyana Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (GYEITI).

In a press release on Monday, PFG said it had become aware of this development in August 2025 through the EITI International Secretariat. According to the Ministry of Natural Resources website, the task of managing the civic selection process was entrusted to Komal Singh, President of the Private Sector Commission, and the Ministry’s release claims this process commenced on January 29, 2025.

However, in a statement on Tuesday, the ministry said while the statement by PFG is profoundly incorrect and undermines the confidence and trust that have been built on all sides in the EITI implementation process since 2017, “we must outline the gross violation and disregard for the established process by Policy Forum Guyana, which has led to the current situation.”

According to the ministry when the government initially signed on to the EITI in 2017, the authority responsible for appointing a convenor for each of the three constituencies in the Multi-Stakeholder Group—government, civil society, and industry—was the Minister of Natural Resources, who is also the Champion of EITI Guyana. “For those who may not be aware, when countries sign onto the EITI, they are required to appoint a “Champion” to ensure that all processes are properly established and that the EITI Standard is complied with at all levels. Guyana’s current EITI Champion is Minister Vickram Bharrat,” the statement read.

Guyana’s previous EITI Champion appointed Policy Forum Guyana as the Convenor of the Civil Society Constituency for the 2017 Multi-Stakeholder Group. “This was not a permanent role. It should be noted that the ministry bore all costs related to advertisements to facilitate the process overseen by the Convenor. In 2021, when the tenure of the first Multi-Stakeholder Group (Steering Committee) expired, the process was repeated, with the Champion appointing Policy Forum Guyana’s role as Civil Society’s Convenor, and again, covering costs related to advertisements.”

This critical step, the Champion initiating the process and appointing the Convenor was ignored in 2025, when Policy Forum Guyana appointed itself as the Civil Society Convenor without following other crucial recommendations to ensure that the EITI implementation process is strengthened in Guyana. “Notwithstanding these shortcomings, the Champion for EITI Guyana, in support of the full participation of all voices, has selected a facilitator or mediator to help ensure a workable solution is found in the shortest possible time. The ministry reiterates its commitment to the implementation of EITI, particularly the right of each constituency to appoint its representatives in accordance with the requirements of the standard.

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Gov’t denies undermining work of GYEITI

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