Selection Completed of Civic Component of ‘GYEITI MSG’
Eight
Eight persons have been selected to re-constitute the civic component of the Multi-stakeholder Committee of the Guyana Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (GYEITI). An independent five persons Selection Panel comprising senior staff from UG, the Public Service and local and international civil society conducted the selection process. The Panel yesterday presented their Report and recommendations to the Policy Forum Guyana (PFG), the body charged with the selection process.
The Civic component of the Multi-Stakeholder Group, like the Industry and Government sectors, comprise eight persons, four representatives, and four alternates. Of the eight, six are selected by the Panel and two by the National Toshaos Council – one representative and one alternate. The eight candidates emerging from these processes representing no particular ranking or preference are Gomin Camacho, Larry Carryl, Kerry-Anne Cort-Kansanally, Nicholas Fredericks, Dianna Khan, Mike McCormack, Vanda Radzik, and Sharmain Rambajue. In a follow-up meeting, the final designation of representatives and alternates will be mutually agreed on as the first step in developing a team approach.
Names will be forwarded to the Minister of Natural Resources, the Hon. Vickram Bharrat MP, who, as GYEITI Champion, has the responsibility for convening the first meeting of the new MSG.
With respect to the selection process, advertisements were placed in the national media and over fifty individual organizations were targeted directly. Written requirements included a personal letter, an application form, three letters of support from civic organizations and a short comment on the GYEITI second Report. All this material was sent directly to an email address under the control of the Selection Panel. Interviews, lasting approximately half an hour, were conducted by the panel over three days in late July.
The Panel arrived at final decisions through a process of individual scoring using a weighted score-sheet. The score-sheet criteria reflected the call for applications, providing scores for qualifying criteria relating to the candidates’ good standing and technical criteria which establish the desirable qualities of the candidates, with a final score reflecting the candidates’ likely ability to make a positive contribution to the GYEITI. During the interviews, other questions were asked which explored the candidates’ understanding, capabilities, vision for the GYEITI, sense of purpose, and other such factors.
In each category, the average of the individual scores was taken. A minimum score of 80% of the total points was established to qualify a candidate for selection to the GYEITI. The final decisions reflect the belief of the entire panel.
The Panel Report which will be submitted to the GYEITI Champion also commented in general on candidates. “We found all of the candidates to be well-informed people with a deep concern for Guyana’s development and deep interest in public and civic matters. Each had a good track record of work in major Guyanese institutions over a number of years. Six of them are currently engaged in working with public-interest groups. All the candidates were very aware of the GYEITI, and with one exception, all had a sound understanding of its scope, purpose, and goals.”
The Selection Panel also made the following general recommendations:
“- The MSG should establish a contact group of persons with whom it can caucus, and extend the range of expertise available to the MSG;
– the GYEITI should develop links with other EITIs to establish best practices, share ideas, etc.;
– while the GYEITI reports are excellent sources of valuable information, there should be a more popular version of the report. The two selected Alternates have ideas in this area, and so it would be a great opportunity for them to contribute in this regard.”
Policy Forum Guyana
24 July 2021
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Email: policyforumgy@gmail.com
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