The National Toshaos Council (NTC) tabled plans to implement key projects to drive sustainable development across Amerindian communities.
These plans were disclosed during the presentation of the report and draft resolution segment of day one of the National Toshaos Conference on Monday.
The NTC Secretary, Shane Cornelius chaired the sessions that highlighted the key accomplishments made during the period August 2024 to May 2025.
These accomplishments were marked by strengthened stakeholder engagements, project implementation and the continued advocacy for the rights, and development of the nation’s first people.
During his address, he unveiled the Support to the Village Planning Project and the Draft of Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) guidelines which aims to further advance the NTC continuous efforts.
The support to Village Planning Project is being implemented under Guyana’s REDD programme and aims to empower villages, satellite communities, and Community Development Councils (CDCs) to effectively develop and implement Village Sustainability Plans (VSPs) to align with the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) 2030.
So far, the NTC has established VSP Unit and hired technical staff to guide the implementation of the project.
A total of 46 VSP facilitators were hired and trained in village planning and GIS mapping.
The NTC has also procured essential tools such as laptops, GPS units, and satellite messengers to aid in planning and data collection.
The training manual and templates for VSPs, designed to span a 10-year planning horizon, were updated.
Additionally, 85 long-term village plans have been developed, with an additional nine currently in progress.
This progress was supported by awareness sessions, VSP workshops, and validation meetings.
As of now, over 875 Indigenous persons have been trained in village planning.
Monitoring and evaluation systems for both project and community levels have been drafted and are being prepared for piloting.
Secretary Cornelius further shared plans developed for the remainder of the year which consist of training of VSP facilitators in the Matakai Sub-district, Region One as well as in Regions Seven, and Nine.
In addition, 75 VSPs are underway and 15 pilot projects will receive technical support for implementation.
Monitoring and Evaluation will be launched in Region One before being scaled to the other nine regions while a VSP project monitoring tool is being tested in 40 communities.
Beyond training, monitoring and evaluation, the Draft of FPIC guidelines aims to document the processes required to engage Amerindian leaders and their communities before any projects, activities, or administrative measures are implemented.
The guidelines are designed to help communities strengthen their internal decision making structures and support the development of village level FPIC protocols.
It will promote greater compliance and accountability among government agencies, private sector operators, civil society organisations, and international partners.
The NTC views the draft as a critical measure geared towards strengthening the rights of Indigenous people to ensure free and fair participation in national development.
It also raises awareness about FPIC and establish a national framework that supports transparency, documentation, and consistency across all the board.
Further, the NTC took the opportunity to highlight the government’s significant contributions and continued support to its development through annual subvention allocations and engagements.
Presenting on its final report for the period August 1, 2024 to April 30, 2025, it showed the government’s substantial investment of $52.2 million.
Coupled with this injection, the government injected another $127.8 million for the construction of the NTC’s permanent headquarters.
Another $20 million was invested this year for the furnishing of the secretariat.
These investments does not stop there as government pledged to continued support for the country’s first people.
Chairman of the NTC, Derrick John
Toshaos present at the opening of the National Toshaos Conference
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