Gov’t continues to see need to find jobs, assist migrants fleeing Venezuela – Foreign Secretary  

Local authorities are committed to ensuring that migrants, particularly those fleeing Venezuelan, are treated in the best way possible, in accordance with Guyana’s national and international obligations, Foreign Secretary, Robert Persaud, indicated on Monday.

Persaud, was at the time speaking during a virtual during a Labour and Migration webinar hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) on Monday.

He was joined by Minister of Labour, Joseph Hamilton, who also outlined the government’s efforts in this regard. Persaud said the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) government is undertaking a series of initiatives to promote safe and orderly migration, in keeping with the Global Compact for Migration – a United Nations treaty.

In addition, he noted the need to analyse the local skills gap to determine how best-skilled persons in the diaspora and migrant communities could be integrated.

“It would be a mistake for our country not to integrate this critical contributor to economic development in our short, medium and long-term policy formulation process,” Persaud said.

He explained that the government has taken steps, in line with best practices, to ensure humanitarian support is provided in the face of an “unprecedented” Venezuelan migrant influx.

“It is in this context that Guyana is mindful of labour migration and its impact on economic growth… we have to ensure that migrants are documented and provided assistance,” he added.

Meanwhile, Minister Hamilton said the United Nations (UN) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) recently launched a project to address issues relating to the integration of migrants, which will be held in Guyana and Colombia.

The minister committed to having the Board of Industrial Training (BIT) provide technical training for migrants settled in Guyana. He added that the government is also open to utilising the Central Recruitment and Manpower Agency to upskill migrants.

The Labour Ministry, he noted, has also been working to increase the number of Occupational Safety and Health officers, and to have them trained in Spanish, Portuguese and Mandarin to better serve migrant populations here.