Head the European Union delegation in Guyana, Ambassador René Van Nes extended support for the country’s legal system through various programs offered by the EU and its agencies, as he met with Attorney General Anil Nandlall on Friday.
During the engagement, Van Nes expressed an interest in fostering a closer relationship with the Attorney General’s Chambers and Ministry of Legal Affairs.
He told Nandlall of the El Pacto 2.0 program, the largest program supporting the implementation of the Regional Team Europe Initiatives for Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) on justice and security.
The project intends to consolidate and strengthen LAC regional and EU-LAC bi-regional structures and mechanisms for cooperation on justice and security matters; strengthen LAC’s overall rule of law environment and criminal justice institutions’ capacity to fight against transnational organized crime, including a focus on women and youth-specific concerns; as well as address specific challenges of transnational criminal markets of LAC organized crime namely, trafficking in drugs, arms, human beings and cultural goods; environmental and cyber-crimes.
Ambassador Van Nes said there was also a support for effective administration of criminal justice systems in the Caribbean program which aims to modernize and strengthen the Caribbean Forum of African Caribbean and Pacific States (CARIFORUM) participating countries’ court systems, processes, and services; and to train and equip judicial officers and court staff with skills and competencies necessary to deliver justice in a fair, transparent, efficient and timely manner.
That project intends to support the judicial reform agendas of participating countries by building the capacity of trial and appellate courts, including the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), to improve court governance, customer-focused services, case flow management and case disposition.
The EU diplomat further pledged technical support on various matters.
Nandlall thanked Ambassador Van Nes for his visit and expressed appreciation for the significant role the EU has played in Guyana, especially during the protracted five months following the March 2, 2020 general and regional election.
The Attorney General briefed him on legislative amendments and other measures since implemented to prevent electoral transgressions, which takes into consideration the recommendations of the EU Election Observation Mission which came after the polls.
CMC
