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Guyana
>> Regional Overview >> Guyana Overview Program Data Sheet
504-004
USAID MISSION: Guyana
PROGRAM TITLE: Governance and Rule of Law (Pillar: Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance)
STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE AND NUMBER: More Responsive and Participatory Governance and Rule of Law, 504-004
STATUS: Continuing
PLANNED FY 2002 OBLIGATION AND FUNDING SOURCE: $1,500,000 DA
PRIOR YEAR UNOBLIGATED AND FUNDING SOURCE: $0
PROPOSED FY 2003 OBLIGATION AND FUNDING SOURCE: $ 1,344,000 DA
INITIAL OBLIGATION: FY 1999 ESTIMATED COMPLETION DATE: FY 2003Summary: The USAID Governance and Rule of Law program in Guyana will provide training and technical assistance focusing on:
- legislative strengthening;
- administration of justice;
- elections;
- civic advocacy; and
- local government.
Inputs, Outputs and Activities: FY 2002 Program: In FY 2002, USAID will to continue democracy activities initiated in earlier years. Development Assistance resources will be used to provide technical assistance to establish parliamentary standing committees, index Guyana's laws and make them accessible to lawmakers and citizens, improve research skills in the Parliamentary Secretary's Office, and strengthen the ability of the Attorney General's Office to draft and revise legislation.
Technical assistance will also be provided to the judiciary to help establish its independence from the executive branch, improve case tracking and reporting, and draft an enforceable code of judicial conduct. It is anticipated that these activities will result in greater judicial efficiency and a reduction in the existing case backlog. An assessment will be conducted to determine if it would be feasible to establish an alternative dispute resolution (ADR) mechanism for commercial cases and, if it is found to be feasible, support a pilot ADR program.
Further training and technical assistance will be provided to the Guyana Elections Commission to help it conduct core elections functions such as voter registration, voter education, and poll worker training on a continuous basis. Technical assistance will also be provided to support local government elections, which are expected to be held on or before December 2002.
A broad range of civic advocacy organizations will receive support to engage in public policy activities focused on legislative, judicial, electoral and local governance reform. In addition, a group of civil society organizations working with Guyana's most disadvantaged citizens (i.e., women, youth, and Amerindians) will receive support to improve their ability to participate in poverty reduction activities and national development programming. Technical assistance will also be provided to the inter-party task force responsible for rationalizing the role of local government. This group is expected to draft new legislation in line with constitutional reforms aimed at devolving decision-making authority to the most appropriate local level, thereby increasing citizen inputs and improving overall accountability.
Planned FY 2003 Program: USAID intends to use Development Assistance resources requested for FY 2003 to upgrade the technical research skills of the Parliamentary Secretary's Office, strengthen the capacity of parliamentary standing committees (especially in conducting public hearings), and help disseminate the laws of Guyana electronically via the recently established parliamentary website.
In the judicial sector, FY 2003 resources will be used to provide additional training to court administrative personnel and possibly to replicate the commercial ADR model discussed above (dependent on the outcome of the assessment). In elections, FY 2003 resources will be used to continue upgrading the core skills of the Guyana Elections Commission, support local government elections, and continue support for civil advocacy organizations in their pursuit of legislative, judicial, local government, and election reform. NGOs working with disadvantaged segments of Guyanese society will receive additional support to strengthen their organizational capacities. In addition, resources will be used to help local citizens' groups to engage their newly elected local government representatives on matters such as local business development, transportation, sanitation, and solid waste management.
Performance and Results: Support in the area of legislative strengthening has helped to foster a climate of increased transparency in public policy making and to provide greater opportunities for citizens to work with policymakers in the areas of poverty reduction and national development. The adoption of a judicial code of conduct and improved case reporting and tracking procedures will eventually help to reduce the current case backlog in the courts and help to keep the level from rising again. Elections support has improved Guyana's capabilities to conduct free and fair elections in a timely manner, while support for civil advocacy organizations has resulted in greater citizen inputs to poverty reduction and national development debates. Support to the local government task force and leadership training for women has laid the groundwork for establishing effective and truly representative local governance.
Continued progress under this objective will mitigate latent interracial and ethnic-based conflict and help to transform Guyana into a country where citizens have expanded opportunities to voice their concerns in policy making discussions and where access to justice is provided for all.
Principal Contractors, Grantees, or Agencies: TThe National Democratic Institute (NDI) is the prime contractor. Subcontractors include the Carter Center and the International Foundation for Elections Systems (IFES). The implementing partners have organized their respective activities such that NDI is responsible for the areas of law and regulation-making and local governance, IFES is providing leadership in the elections component, and the Carter Center is providing leadership in the justice sector and in strengthening female, youth, and Amerindian groups.
US Financing in Thousands of Dollars
504-004 More Responsive and Participatory Governance and Rule of Law DA Through September 30, 2000 Obligations 2,756 Expenditures 1,058 Unliquidated 1,698 Fiscal Year 2001 Obligations 1,800 Expenditures 2,000 Through September 30, 2001 Obligations 4,556 Expenditures 3,058 Unliquidated 1,498 Prior Year Unobligated Funds Obligations 0 Planned Fiscal Year 2002 NOA Obligations 1,500 Total Planned Fiscal Year 2002 Obligations 1,500 Proposed Fiscal Year 2003 NOA Obligations 1,344 Future Obligations 0 Est. Total Cost 7,400
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Last Updated on: May 29, 2002 |
