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Notice of Annual General Assembly 2021

Notice of Annual General Assembly

Notice is hereby given that the Annual General Assembly of the International Decade for People of African Descent Assembly – Guyana, will be held by ZOOM on Sunday, September 19th 2021 at 4.00 p.m.

Agenda

  1. Call to Order
  2. Adoption of Agenda
  3. Opening Remarks – IDPADA-G, Chairman Mr. Vincent Alexander
  4. Video showcasing the work of Committees.
  5. Roll Call of General Assembly Membership
  6. Presentation of Annual Report and Draft Work Plan 2021-2022 – Ms. Olive Cannings-Sampson, Chief Executive Officer
    1. Discussion of the Annual Report and Work Plan
    1. Presentation of Audit Report
  • Motions
  • Voting by General Assembly: Election of chairperson
  • Installation of the elected Chair.
  • Closing Remarks – IDPADA-G Chairperson                                    

By Order of the Coordinating Council

Olive B. Sampson

Secretary

14, North Rd,

Bourda

Georgetown, Guyana

IDPADA-G CREDIT UNION

The IDPADA-G Credit Union was registered on February 7, 2020. The Credit Union, by law, is required to convene its first general members meeting within one month of registration. However, due to preventative measures in place to stem the spread of COVID-19, the Credit Union has postponed scheduling its inaugural General Meeting. Members will be informed as soon as it is safe to convene the meeting. 

At the inaugural meeting, members will ratify policies for the operation of the society and elect officers to serve on the management committee for the first year of operations. The current membership stands at eight hundred and fourteen persons from all coastal regions of Guyana, and Region 7.

‘Break barriers’

…President urges IDPADA-G Co-operative Credit Union
…says body must adopt new model for economic enterprise

By Lisa Hamilton

President David Granger has challenged the Co-operative Credit Union of International Decade for People of African Descent Assembly – Guyana (IDPADA-G) to adopt a new model of operation which would enable it to becoming competitive with the formal financial sector.

At the First General Members Meeting of the IDPADA-G Co-operative Credit Union held via zoom on Tuesday, as keynote speaker, the Guyanese leader proposed a four-stage model for the transformation of the Credit Union into an engine of enterprise development.

The Co-operative Credit Union was registered on February 7, 2020 as a means to provide alternative options to African Guyanese which IDPADA-G believes have been affected by credit and financial support services skewed against them.

In his remarks, President Granger established that the United Nations (UN), in declaring 2015-2024 as IDPAD, openly recognized that Africans were the victims of the greatest crimes against humanity and have not yet overcome the legacy of colonial oppression and underdevelopment. It was in 2016, at the Cuffy 250 forum, that the President recommended a five-point plan for the Decade in Guyana which included African economic empowerment, one of the inspirations of IDPADA-G to launch the Credit Union.

However, the Head of State said that the old model of economic empowerment through Co-operative Credit banks and unions have served its purpose and the future demands a new model which drives enterprise development.

QUEST FOR ECONOMIC EMANCIPATION

Explaining further the perspective, President Granger said that the history of co-operative credit banks in Guyana — which existed over a century ago — emerged to meet the loan needs of African subsistent farmers and African basic household and emergency needs. He said that it was a “quest for economic emancipation” for a better life away from the oppressive plantation system and led to the Great Village Movement.

However, he said the early proprietors of African villages faced “formidable obstacles” in their pursuit of economic empowerment suffering, as a result, from economic exhaustion and lack of financial capital.

They then entered into collective ventures pooling their resources to purchase abandoned plantations for the establishments of homes, farms and churches with properties being allocated by shares or, in the cases of proprietary villages, there were arrangements for each person to own their own property.

“Africans left a proud tradition of frugality and thrift. Their capacity and propensity to save allowed them to overcome the lack of access to capital. Some retained the ancestral tradition of raising funds through informal schemes such as ‘box-hand’ in an effort to circumvent the difficulties in sourcing funds from formal banking institutions,” the President said.

When this proved insufficient to support economic activities, they turned to co-operative credit banks establishing them in several villages. Regrettably, the fortune of these banks were tied to the economic fortunes of their members who the President reminded were “principally, poor, peasant farmers”. It led to the collapse of the co-operative credit bank by 1912 but a revival in 1914 allowing for government loans and greater regulation.

Even so, President Granger said that though the co-operative credit banks saved small farmers from “loan sharks and assorted money-lenders”, it never became a major driver of economic enterprise. It was unsuited for modern competitive industrial and manufacturing business development. Cooperative credit unions were the successors of the cooperative credit banks but he said that only 30 such institutions existed as of October 2019 with a little over 24,000 members with estimated assets of US$28.9M.

A NEW MODEL NEEDED

The Head of Sate put forward that modern-day African economic empowerment in Guyana demands a ‘new model’ of cooperative credit unions. He said that this model must move beyond catering only for elementary stage of development —- the provision of personal and subsistence loans — to an engine of enterprise development.

He outlined these four stages as moving from the traditional or subsistent stage to the commercial or retail stage to the industrial or manufacturing stage and then the internationally competitive stage. “The ambition of new model should be to provide financial services from the level of the small farmer and household, right up to the level of industry. Financing is needed at the levels of micro-, small- and medium-scale enterprises, particularly in the agriculture and agro-processing sector,” the President advised.

“The ‘new model’ which I propose, envisages cooperative credits union as financial institutions with increasing assets, reserves, savings and shareholdings. The model is one which would see shareholding and savings widened and with a more diversified lending portfolio. All of this would necessitate legislative and regulatory changes. The ‘new model’ is necessary for economic empowerment. Its development is propitious for the remaining years of the International Decade of People of African Descent.”

He also pointed to a number of government initiatives such as the $50M agro-processing plant at Parika; the Regional Agricultural and Commercial Exhibitions (RACE); the Rural Entrepreneurial Agricultural Project (REAP) which can be sources for investment, sources through which many Guyanese are forming their own businesses.

He urged the IDPADA-G Co-operative Credit Union to carefully consider the adoption of the new model for it would give the Union the potential to compete with the formal financial sector. However, as it embarks on its new journey, the President said that he looks forward to joining the Credit Union.

During the First Meeting, remarks also came from Chairman of the Coordinating Council of IDPADA-G, Vincent Alexander who thanked those who played key roles in the formation of the Credit Union. He said that the Credit Union will work towards setting an example for good governance.

“The fact that we’re having this meeting signals our intention, here on, to ensure that the manner of conduct of our business is in keeping with the requirements and reflects best practices. IDPADA-G and all of its arms are intended to be an example to the community so that all other organisations can walk in our footsteps as we seek to achieve the goals of the decade,” Alexander stated. Chair of the IDPADA-G Co-operative Credit Union Steering Committee, Shamane Headley said that close to 1,000 persons that have already purchased shares in the Union.

Source: Guyana Chronicle | Lisa Hamiton

IDPADA-G Emergency General Meeting

On Sunday March 15, 2020, IDPADA-G’s Coordinating Council convened an emergency meeting of its General Assembly to discuss the well-being and safety of the African Guyanese community in light of the discord following the March 2 General and Regional Elections.

This Emergency meeting sought to address, in particular, the heightened racial tensions and racially motivated attacks against people of African Descent in Guyana. Members of the organization noted the restraint demonstrated by the African Guyanese community in the face of racially motivated attacks, and voiced fear for the safety of our entire community, considering the attacks on innocent school children, the security forces and random African Guyanese.

Within the United Nations framework, as the Country Coordinating Mechanism mandated to protect the interest of African Guyanese, IDPADA-G has compiled a report on this situation. Following a motion passed by IDPADA-G’s General Assembly, the organization submitted the report along with a petition to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the broader international community and the local Ethnic Relations Commission, to alert them to the recent acts of “racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance” towards African Guyanese.

On Thursday March 19, members of the Coordinating Council along with the CEO and representatives of the secretariat visited the families of five students from Western Berbice who were injured during an attack on their school bus. In each case, words of comfort and tokens of support were shared with the children and their families. IDPADA-G pledged to continue their support by providing mentors for the students, and to provide counselling where needed.  It was gratifying to observe the show of appreciation from each family for this visit.

Election of Committee Chairs and New Co-ordinating Council Members General Meeting

During the January General Assembly Meeting, member organizations selected committee members for IDPADA-G’s revamped committee structure.  Chairman – Mr. Vincent Alexander reminded members that the committees reflect the central pillars of IDPADA-G’s work and keep it focused on serving the interests of the African community in the areas of Education, Employment, Economics, Equality and Expiation.

IDPADA-G Chair, Mr. Vincent Alexander, addressing the Meeting
IDPADA-G Chair, Mr. Vincent Alexander, addressing the Meeting

Meetings were subsequently held to elect chairpersons of each committee. The newly elected Committee Chairs form the IDPADA-G Coordinating Council alongside the Chairman, CEO and co-opted members. The 2020-2022 Coordinating Council members are:

  • Mr. Vincent Alexander – Chairman
  • Ms. Olive Sampson – Chief Executive Officer
  • Dr. Simpson Da Silva -Chair, Economics Committee
  • Mr. Gladston Alert – Chair, Education Committee
  • Dr. Norman Ng-A-Qui – Chair, Employment Committee
  • Mr. Tom Dalgety – Chair, Equity Committee
  • Mr. Royston Peters- Chair, Expiation Committee
  • Dr. Patsy Francis – Co-opted Member
  • Mr. E. Lance Carberry – Co-opted Member
  • Ms. Miryom Levi– Co-opted Member
  • Ms. Ayanna Mc Calman– Co-opted Member

Election of Committee Chairs and New Co-ordinating Council Members General Meeting

During the January General Assembly Meeting, member organizations selected committee members for IDPADA-G’s revamped committee structure.  Chairman – Mr. Vincent Alexander reminded members that the committees reflect the central pillars of IDPADA-G’s work and keep it focused on serving the interests of the African community in the areas of Education, Employment, Economics, Equality and Expiation.

Meetings were subsequently held to elect chairpersons of each committee. The newly elected Committee Chairs form the IDPADA-G Coordinating Council alongside the Chairman, CEO and co-opted members. The 2020-2022 Coordinating Council members are:

  • Mr. Vincent Alexander – Chairman
  • Ms. Olive Sampson – Chief Executive Officer
  • Dr. Simpson Da Silva -Chair, Economics Committee
  • Mr. Gladston Alert – Chair, Education Committee
  • Dr. Norman Ng-A-Qui – Chair, Employment Committee
  • Mr. Tom Dalgety – Chair, Equity Committee
  • Mr. Royston Peters- Chair, Expiation Committee
  • Dr. Patsy Francis – Co-opted Member
  • Mr. E. Lance Carberry – Co-opted Member
  • Ms. Miryom Levi– Co-opted Member
  • Ms. Ayanna Mc Calman– Co-opted Member

Attorney General’s Presentation at the Assembly 2018

The clock is ticking The International Decade for People of African Descent was proclaimed by the General Assembly of the United Nations, via Resolution 68/237 on the 23rd December 2013. The ‘International Decade’ runs from 2015 to 2024 inclusive. We are deep into the fourth year of the Decade.

The designation of the ‘International Decade’ acknowledges that Africans were the victims of the greatest crime against humanity and continue to suffer from dispossession and discrimination. The Decade is a recognition that persons of African descent have not yet fully overcome the legacy of colonial underdevelopment which continues to contribute to their present condition.

The contributions of the people of African Descent in Guyana are evident as this country was built on the back of slaves.  The blood, sweat and tears of the African watered the land. These slaves were brought to Guyana to work on the sugar plantations and endured the worst crime committed against humanity (the transatlantic slave trade).  However, the cruel institution of slavery could not quench the spirit of the slaves as many revolted and eventually freedom was won.  The freed slaves were industrious and bought villages and through their efforts Guyana contributed greatly to the development of Guyana.  African descendants have also contributed to the cultural tapestry of Guyana, as the slaves even though efforts were made to strip them of their culture, religion and very identity, still managed to pass down from generation to generation their rich heritage.

However, despite their contribution, according to the UN, people of African Descent are among the poorest and marginalized groups. They are often victimized and subject to police brutality and racial profiling. People of African descent have limited access to justice, quality education, health services, housing and social security. Not only are they discriminated on the basis of color but also age, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, social origin, property, disability, birth, or other status.  It is for this reason that the International Decade for People of African Descent was proclaimed by UN General Assembly resolution 68/237. The decade will be observed from 2015 to 2024. It allows not only the UN but Member States, civil society and all other relevant actors to join together with people of African descent and take effective measures for the implementation of the programme of activities in the spirit of recognition, justice and development. The decade requires us to among other things-

 

  • remove all obstacles that prevent equal enjoyment of all human rights, economic, social, cultural, civil and political, including the right to development,
  • promote the effective implementation of national and international legal frameworks;
  • engage in educational and awareness raising activities to foster equality and restoring the dignity of people of African Descent,
  • ensure access to justice and promote the development of the people of African Descent and take measures against poverty.

The ‘International Decade’, is call for concerted action to bring about change in ensuring that persons of African descent gain recognition, justice and development.  Countries are taking action to advance the objectives of the ‘International Decade.’ From Argentina to Italy, Lithuania to Mexico practical initiatives have been launched to promote greater justice, recognition and development for persons of African descent.

This is therefore the time for action, not prevarication. This is the time for unity, not division. There is an old African saying, when elephants fight, it is the grass which get trampled.

The ‘International Decade’ at the local level should be transformative. It should lay the foundation for overcoming the historical and structural impediments to African- Guyanese empowerment. It should imbue African-Guyanese with a sense of pride and with a renewed purpose.  It should result in concrete benefits.

President David Granger, addressing the Annual Cuffy 250 Forum in 2016, sounded the bugle for action. He called on African-Guyanese to organize and not agonise. The President outlined a five point proposal, which has been adopted by the International Decade for People of African Descent Assembly-Guyana. The five point proposal calls for emphasis to be placed on education, employment, economic empowerment, equality and expiation. President Granger’s five point proposal promotes the themes of the decade: recognition, justice and development.

The duty of this Assembly is to move that proposal forward. The work of this Assembly is to accelerate local awareness of the International Decade and to take action to advance and to implement its programme of action.

This programme of action should be inclusive. Greater recognition for African-Guyanese should not be achieved at the expense of derecognizing others; justice for African-Guyanese should not be at the price of injustice; development of African-Guyanese should not result in the underdevelopment of others.

The Assembly’s programme is one aimed at ensuring African-Guyanese recognition, justice and development. It is a struggle ‘for’ rather than a struggle ‘against’ any other group.

I want to leave six important lessons, drawn from the history of African-Guyanese which can be instructive in supporting the work of this Assembly.

The first (1st) of these lessons is hope. I do not consider the African-Guyanese community to be in a state of crisis. African-Guyanese, like all ethnic communities, have its problems. No community is without its difficulties. No community is without hope. The African-Guyanese community must not therefore succumb to the trap hopelessness. The African community is not without resources to overcome its present difficulties. The African Guyanese community can find answers to its problems from within its bosom.

The African-Guyanese community has cultural resources; it has its traditions and values passed on through generations.  The International Decade for People of African Descent is an opportunity to affirm the values of fortitude, prudence, self-organization and solidarity which have sustained Africans throughout their struggles.

The second (2nd) of these lessons, as I mentioned, is that of industry. The fore-parents of African-Guyanese did not sit on their hands. They took action. No one is going to do African Guyanese a favor in their quest for improving their position in society. You have the resources to do much more because your fore-parents were able to achieve much with less.  If the challenges facing this community are to be overcome, if the problems that afflict persons of African descent are to be addressed, this has to be done through the efforts of the African-Guyanese community. African-Guyanese should therefore organize for action.

The third (3rd) lesson is that there can be no dignity without freedom and no freedom without dignity. The world today is rife with new forms of slavery and exploitation.  The struggles of African-Guyanese for greater dignity should be associated, therefore, with the efforts to end all forms of human subjugation and to ensure work with dignity, bread with dignity and freedom with dignity.

The fourth (4th) lesson is the legacy of the importance which African-Guyanese fore-parents bequeathed. That gateway is education. On July 31, 2015, during an address to a deed handing-over ceremony of the South Campus of the St. Augustine Campus of the University of the West Indies, President David Granger observed that “our fore-parents saw education as the vehicle for self-emancipation, enhanced self-esteem, social equality, economic well-being and political representation.”  

Education has allowed scores of African-Guyanese, through all generations since Emancipation, to graduate out of poverty.  Education has brought greater respect. It provided choices and unlocked opportunities for employment. Education must remain a bedrock of efforts to promote the political and economic empowerment of African-Guyanese.

The fifth (5th) lesson from history is rekindling the kinship with the land. Africa-Guyanese have a proud and strong tradition in agriculture.  After the Emancipation of slavery, a peasantry comprised of freed African slaves developed throughout the villages. Africans need to return to the land. African Guyanese have a strong tradition in agriculture. We should reignite that tradition as a means of fostering African-Guyanese economic empowerment.

The sixth (6th) lesson concerns our villages. The village movement in Guyana was a creation of freed Africans who pooled their resources and bought abandoned plantations. The village was an organic community.  In newly established villages, there was a strong sense of communal solidarity. People built together; their bore their losses together; they supported each other in times of distress. People looked out for one another other; they took care of each other. Children were not just the responsibility of their parents. The education of children was also the responsibility of the entire village. That spirit of communal solidarity needs to be resurrected.

Villages are being revitalized. This is a national policy. The majority of Guyanese still live in villages. Local democracy has been restored to allow residents to have a greater say in the decision-making of their communities.  Village infrastructure and social services are being improved. Village economies are being stimulated to generate jobs and incomes. This Assembly, in its programme of work, is expected to pay attention to the development of villages – the cradle of African-Guyanese empowerment.

The agenda for recognition, justice and development, is before us all. The task before African Guyanese is to not only invent solutions but to tap the unquestionable cultural resources that lie at their disposal. These resources will help in advancing the development of African-Guyanese in our multicultural society.

African-Guyanese should assume responsibility for their future. The task of self- emancipation lies in your hands and your hands alone. Ensure that you use those hands responsibly.

I wish every success to this Assembly. I thank you.

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