US-funded democracy project suspended, talks begin

Last Updated on Saturday, 26 December 2015, 20:59 by GxMedia

L to R: US Ambassador Brent Hardt and Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr Roger Luncheon

The United States (US) and Guyana on Thursday announced that they have agreed to suspend the implementation of the American-funded Leadership and Democracy (LEAD) project to pave the way for the holding of talks on its design.

“The governments of Guyana and the United States of America have agreed that the implementation of the activities of the USAID (United States Agency for International Development ) LEAD project would be put on hold temporarily during the reengagement on the design of that project the two sides have agreed would commence immediately,” the two sides said in a joint statement.

After the joint news conference, Head of the Presidential Secretariat Dr. Roger Luncheon and US Ambassador to Guyana, Brent Hardt began the talks immediately.

No time frame has been set for the completion of the reengagement process but Luncheon and Hardt hoped that the UDS$1.2 million project could resume to the benefit of both countries.

The American envoy reiterated that the LEAD project reflects a 2009 agreement between USAID and Guyana on Governing Justly and Democratically.