Cultural Exclusion and Mining Encroachment Fuel Indigenous Health Crisis in Guyana - APA President Tells UN Forum

Cultural Exclusion and Mining Encroachment Fuel Indigenous Health Crisis in Guyana – APA President Tells UN Forum

Apr 23, 2026 News

(Kaieteur News) – The Amerindian Peoples Association (APA) has issued a powerful call for reform at the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII), where the organization’s President Lemmel Thomas highlighted a deepening health crisis among Guyana’s Indigenous populations.

Addressing the forum on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, during a discussion on Indigenous health in the context of conflict, the APA warned that “institutional discrimination” and “cultural exclusion” continue to define national health policies. While acknowledging the government’s recent investments in hospital infrastructure and professional staffing, the APA argued that these measures fail to address the systemic inequities that have persisted for generations.

Cultural Exclusion and Mining Encroachment Fuel Indigenous Health Crisis in Guyana - APA President Tells UN Forum

APA’s President Lemmel Thomas as the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII).

The President’s testimony painted a harrowing picture of the physical barriers to care, noting that elders must still trek through mountains, valleys, and rivers to reach basic medical facilities.

The intervention detailed how men are left vulnerable to life-threatening emergencies without access to anti-venom, while women are frequently forced to cross international borders to find safe birthing conditions. Furthermore, the APA raised an urgent alarm regarding the mental health of Indigenous youth, reporting that a rise in suicide cases is being neglected by the current healthcare framework.

Central to the address was the devastating impact of the extractive sector on community wellbeing. The APA linked the “encroachment” of mining and logging into Indigenous territories to an alarming spike in infectious diseases like malaria and dengue, alongside the long-term toxic effects of mercury. The President emphasized that the destruction of the environment is simultaneously a destruction of Indigenous medicine, stating that the survival of their culture and the protection of their lands are inseparable components of their collective health.

The forum also heard how linguistic barriers directly lead to medical emergencies. The APA noted that patients often suffer dangerous delays in critical treatment because healthcare providers cannot communicate in Indigenous languages, a situation described as a dismissal of traditional culture. The intervention concluded with a demand for the Guyanese government to conduct consistent, respectful consultations with Indigenous Councils. The APA argued that recognizing the role of these Councils in shaping policy and respecting the right to self-determination are the only ways to overcome the pollution and politicization currently dividing their communities.

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Amerindian Peoples Association, Cultural Exclusion, Indigenous, Mining Encroachment

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