APA Policy Officer Don Stoll told the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) on April 24, 2025, that while the government has made strides in treating Indigenous women, more needs to be done.
She made the comment during the interactive dialogue session between Permanent Forum Members and Indigenous Peoples at the 24th session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues in New York.
Read her full statement below:
I speak on behalf of the Amerindian Peoples Association of Guyana, a non-governmental organisation founded by Indigenous Leaders when our peoples had no national representation. Chair, there are persistent gaps between policy and practice in addressing the realities of Indigenous peoples, particularly indigenous women.
While we acknowledge the Government’s efforts to improve Indigenous women’s participation in political life, healthcare access, and education, the impact on the ground remains limited. The increase in representation does not reflect meaningful inclusion in local governance, where our voices are still too often sidelined.
In healthcare, despite investments in infrastructure and telemedicine, many Indigenous women face barriers due to weak infrastructure, language barriers and access to proper health facilities. Our hospitals still lack the basic equipment and medicines to treat our families and community.
Also, we are not included nor properly consulted on community health programmes that require our support and participation. Many of our questions go unanswered when we request more information for matters concerning our health.
Therefore, we call on our government to commit to the implementation of CEDAW Recommendation 39 to ensure that Indigenous women’s rights are protected at all levels.
With regard to education, while tuition-free university and vocational opportunities are welcomed, Indigenous women and youth continue to face structural challenges that discriminate against their culture and ways of life. Recent textbooks produced by the Government of Guyana have negatively portrayed and targeted the indigenous community of Chinese Landing, which has already faced retaliatory measures from the State for asserting their land rights against an illegal miner.
We urge the Government to fully implement the UNDRIP, especially its free, prior, and informed consent principles. Despite adopting the UNDRIP, our government also consistently says it is not binding and limits its implementation.
Instead, the government has targeted indigenous governance bodies and disregarded their inclusion in proper consultation processes. This has created an environment of intimidation and silencing among our peoples.
Our voices are unheard because political agendas and corporate interests drown them out. Time and time again, the government denies us our right to FPIC as enshrined by the UNDRIP. This leaves us unable to fully participate in our governance and development.
Chair, the Government labels our traditional gathering of leaders as illegal and seeks to disrupt them. This is a violation of our self-determination.
We call on this forum to urge the government to respect our peoples’ right to truly self-govern. We are demanding that the promises made in the UNDRIP be honoured not just in words, but in action!
Thank you.