Georgetown – Ambassador Perry Holloway met with two Guyanese who recently returned from the United States after participating in the Embassy-sponsored International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) exchange on “Combating Corruption” from March 6 – 16, 2016. The participants, Mrs. Judy Stuart, Senior Legal Adviser, Ministry of Legal Affairs and Office of the Attorney General Chambers and Mr. Neil Marks, President of the Guyana Press Association shared their program experiences and discussed how they hoped to apply the insights gained from their experience to the benefit of their organizations and communities as a whole.
During the program, Mrs. Stuart and Mr. Marks, along with their counterparts from the Caribbean visited several cities, including Washington, D.C., Manchester, New Hampshire, and Raleigh, North Carolina where they met with government officials, members of the private sector, and media houses. These visits provided varied insights and understanding into the vital role of public/private partnerships and media in supporting good governance and discouraging corruption. The program afforded participants the opportunity to examine the dynamics of political campaign financing and government procurement. Participants also examined the mechanisms that enable citizens to foster good governance, ethical standards, and accountability at the local, state, and federal levels.
Among the highlights of the program was a visit to the Center for Whistleblowers. Mrs. Stuart noted this was indeed timely as the Government of Guyana is in the process of drafting legislation for Whistleblower and Witness Protection aimed at preventing corruption, encouraging ethical leadership and transparency, and ensuring accountability and responsibility to the public.
Mr. Marks participation in this program has amplified his awareness of the critical role that the media play as “watchdogs” as part of civil society in promoting good governance and human rights.
Ambassador Holloway encouraged them to build on the many professional linkages they made with U.S. institutions and other IVLP participants to strengthen their work within their respective organizations and in communities throughout Guyana.
The International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) is the U.S. Department of State’s premier professional exchange program. The IVLP brings together emerging leaders in their respective professions to learn how U.S. experts in their professions operate, and to share best practices with the other program fellows who hail from across the globe.
