As Government continues with its thrust toward a Green Pathway, the Department of the Environment (DoE) will work on the restructuring of its related agencies in order to ensure that they are properly equipped to be responsive to Government’s Green State Development Plan, according to the Ministry of the Presidency.
Head of the DoE, Ms. Ndibi Schwiers, in a statement, said that the Department will first be looking at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and will work to ensure that its structure is one that is equipped to efficiently deliver on Government’s promise of a Green State.
“Because of the importance of [the EPA], it is being given priority for reform to make it more efficient, cost effective and ready for providing support to investors in the various fields of endeavour. In this regard, the EPA cannot continue to operate in its current form. The modus operandi must change to effectively achieve the policy objectives of Government,” Ms. Schwiers said.
She explained that the Department will over the course of the next few months, work with the staff and other national, regional and international advisors to develop an architectural and legal framework that is best suited to achieve the policies of Government, the MoTP said.
Ms. Schwiers said that since the establishment of the Department, the Government, with technical advice from international, regional and local expertise, has been looking at how the Department can be configured to be more efficient and to achieve the policies of Government.
The Department of the Environment was officially gazetted on September 1, 2016 and was later established on October 1 of the same year. The Department holds responsibility for the activities of environmental compliance and management, protected areas development and management, national parks management and wildlife conservation and protection. It is also directly responsible for the EPA, Protected Areas Commission (PAC), National Parks Commission and the Guyana Wildlife Division.
