Attorney General meets with UNDP delegation, discussions centred on potential programming opportunities to extend support to the criminal justice system

From left to right: Ms. Prithima Kissoon, Public Trustee/Official Receiver, Ms. Sarita Marshall, Program Associate, Ms. Stephanie Ziebell, Deputy Resident Representative, Hon. Mohabir Anil Nandlall SC MP, Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Ms. Christalle Gemon, Acting Head of Governance and Poverty Reduction and Mr. Rene Chan, Operations Coordinator

The Hon. Mohabir Anil Nandlall SC MP, Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs on Tuesday met with a delegation from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Guyana at the Attorney General Chambers, Carmichael Street, Georgetown.

The team was headed by Ms. Stephanie Ziebell, Deputy Resident Representative and included Ms. Christalle Gemon, Acting Head of Governance and Poverty Reduction, Ms. Sarita Marshall, Program Associate and Mr. Rene Chan, Operations Coordinator. The Hon. Attorney General was accompanied by Ms. Prithima Kissoon, Public Trustee/Official Receiver.

The delegation thanked the Hon. Attorney General for the opportunity to delve into shared areas of interest. The meeting focused on discussing potential programming opportunities aimed at extending support to the criminal justice system, specifically strengthening institutional capacity to effectively reduce the backlog of criminal cases.

The Hon. Attorney General extended appreciation for the meeting and pledged his commitment to collaborate in addressing critical challenges within the justice system and promoting regional collaboration. He proposed a number of initiatives to be pursued that would significantly address different challenges and would result in a more efficient functioning criminal justice machinery.

He also briefed the team on a number of programmes currently being executed by the Attorney General Chambers and Ministry of Legal Affairs aimed at revamping the country’s legal system, including the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)-funded Support for the Criminal Justice System (SCJS) Programme, focused primarily on reducing the prison population.

The Hon. Attorney General has promised to establish a committee which will continue to liaise with the UNDP in the planning and execution of a programme that would be directed to the reduction of the backlog in the criminal justice system.