Chargé d’Affaires of the US Embassy, Bryan Hunt recently met with Annette Jaundoo upon her return from the United States after participating in the Embassy-sponsored International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) exchange which focused on human rights.
A release from the embassy said that Jaundoo participated in an IVLP exchange
on “Human and Civil Rights for All,” from June 7 – 30, 2014.
Jaundoo, who is the Executive Director for a USAID-supported non-governmental organization – Family Awareness Consciousness Together-ness (FACT), related her IVLP experience to the Chargé d’Affaires and U.S. Embassy representatives during the recent meeting.
The release said that she highlighted the value of this experience and how she intends to apply the knowledge gained to the benefit of her organization and the NGO Coordinating Committee for HIV/AIDS and more particularly, members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community. She also pledged to work more closely with faith-based organizations, the private sector, and other agencies towards strengthening the alliance for the LGBT community.
Jaundoo and her counterparts from the Caribbean visited several cities, including Washington, D.C.; Memphis, Tennessee; Little Rock, Arkansas; Des Moines, Iowa and San Francisco, California. The visits, the release said offered varied insights and understanding of how civil society organizations support the LGBT community and influence human rights policy.
Hunt, the release said reaffirmed the U.S. Government’s commitment to work with and augment the role of civil society organizations and advocates on behalf of human rights issues within and through multilateral fora. He encouraged Jaundoo to build on the many professional linkages made with U.S. institutions and other IVLP participants from countries throughout the Caribbean to buttress her work and that of her organization.
The release said that to date, approximately fifty Guyanese mid-level professionals have participated in the International Visitor Leadership Program.
