Guyana gets US$350,000 under CBSI

Guyana has received an additional US$350, 000 under the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI), to support its law enforcement and narcotics control interventions.

 Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carl Greenidge, and United States Ambassador to Guyana, Perry Holloway, today in the Main Conference Room of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, signed the CBSI’s “Letter of Agreement Three Point Two” which provides for the funding.

“Agreement Three Point Two” constitutes an amendment to the original agreement signed between the two countries on April 8, 2011, under the framework of the CBSI, and it will allow for the continuation of the programmed activities under that Agreement.

The new Agreement takes the total funding for projects, under the CBSI, to a grand sum of US$1.250M. This amount will be channelled towards the funding of three projects in Guyana, namely the Law Enforcement Professionalisation and Support, Strengthening Counter Narcotic Control Capabilities, and the support for security training.

The Law Enforcement Professionalisation project deals with enhancing the Guyana Police Force’s (GPF’s) and the Customs Anti-Narcotic Unit’s (CANU’s) capability to conduct counter narcotic operations at Guyana’s ports of entry. In the year 2014, under the CBSI, US $300,000 was provided under this programme. According to Minister Greenidge, Agreement Three Point Two provides a further $100,000, with an emphasis on funding several law enforcement training programmes.

The Support, Strengthening Counter Narcotic Control Capabilities project seeks to enhance the capability of Guyana to conduct counter narcotic operations, by developing coordination between the agencies, and intelligence gathering on drug trafficking. Minister Greenidge noted that the long- term goal of this project is to ensure the quality and integrity of the personnel assigned to CANU, and to strengthen the investigative partnership between CANU and the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA.) Under the Support, Strengthening Counter Narcotic Control Capabilities project, US$250,000 was provided under the CBSI in 2014. The further sum of US$200,000 is being provided under Agreement Three Point Two, Minister Greenidge said.

The last component will support programmes such as counter-narcotic strategy training courses, the establishment of the container control programme, training for members of the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU), and training partnership between the GPF and the Pennsylvania State police.

“The signing today serves as further evidence of the strengthening and deepening relations between our two countries,” Minister Greenidge said. He also reaffirmed Guyana’s support to the CBSI programme.

Speaking specifically to the Ambassador, Greenidge said that “we wish to assure you of Guyana’s commitment to working with the US to further strengthen cooperation under this programme to ensure peace, stability and security, not only for Guyana but the region as a whole.”

He also expressed Guyana’s profound gratitude to the Government and people of the United States for their continued contributions towards Guyana’s development and also for the critical role that they are playing in the security sector as reflected in the CBSI agreement.

 Ambassador Holloway noted that the US can only provide assistance when there is a recipient that wants assistance and who cooperates and points out the areas where the assistance is need. He said that the US with the CBSI is only seeking to assist Guyana and the region, to counter crime, by strengthening and promoting information sharing across countries, borders and agencies as in the case of Guyana.