A team from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) which visited Guyana last month expressed shock at the extent of poverty on Lombard Street in the city.
A statement yesterday from the IACHR on the September 21 to 23 visit said in part “During its visit to the neighbourhood of Lombard Street, the IACHR delegation was shocked by the extreme poverty and precarious living conditions of its inhabitants. The community comprises approximately 40 adults and 80 children with clear housing, sanitation, and health problems, as well as limited work opportunities and scant social services provided by the State. During the visit to the community, the IACHR was accompanied by Minister Volda Lawrence, who pledged to continue to work to improve the situation and opportunities of the community’s residents. The IACHR calls upon the State to adopt urgent steps to improve the socioeconomic (situation) of the Lombard Street residents and to create, immediately and without delay, conditions that allow them to exercise all their human rights.”
The statement said that the Washington, USA-based IACHR conducted the working visit to examine issues concerning poverty, as well as the respect and guarantee of the economic, social, and cultural rights in the country. This was the first time the IACHR visited Guyana.
