The United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) support for transparency and good governance in the extractive sector has been boosted with an additional $500,000 grant.
A statement from the US Embassy yesterday said that the grant is going to the Guyana Extractives Sector Transparency (GEST) Project. This sum brings the total project funding to US$1 million and extends the project’s end date to September 30, 2021.
The statement said that the project provides aid to Guyana’s Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) Multi Stakeholder Group (MSG) – a group of stakeholders responsible for governance and oversight of EITI implementation, the national secretariat and other stakeholders. The statement said that as Guyana prepares for validation of the country’s compliance with EITI standards and the 2nd EITI country report, the project team is providing important technical help to the Secretariat, MSG and reporting organizations to streamline the validation process and gather data and other materials. Up to this point, the statement said that the project has worked with the Secretariat to develop terms of reference for the MSG and the Secretariat, standard operating procedures and a communications and engagement strategy. The project has also afforded technical assistance, training, and equipment to build the Secretariat’s capacity to support EITI implementation.
Upcoming activities include: providing technical assistance to the MSG to improve governance of EITI; executing the communications and engagement strategy; developing a roadmap for systematic disclosures; formulating a website that publishes Guyana’s roadmap to systematic disclosure and allows easier stakeholder monitoring of country compliance; helping civil society monitoring of EITI compliance and tackling issues affecting mainstreamed disclosures.
The statement said that USAID has an agreement with the Pan American Development Foundation to implement the project.
