About the APA:The Amerindian Peoples Association of Guyana or the APA is a non-governmental organisation formed by Amerindians for Amerindians, It is primarily an advocacy organisation which focuses on the rights of the Amerindians Peoples of Guyana. The APA is registered under the Friendly Societies Acts and is governed by a constitution.

Objectives:The objectives of the APA are to promote the social,economic,political and cultural development of the Amerindian communities in solidarity with each other and to promote and defend their rights.

How the APA came about:The APA was formed in 1991 at a conference for Amerindian leaders in Georgetown and was first led by a steering committee. These leaders has been meeting to discuss various problems affecting their communities for which they were not finding solutions. They then decided to form an organisation called the Amerindian Peoples Association to look to these matters. The APA has been formally constituted since 1992 and is led by an Executive committee.

The Executive Committee: The APA is led by an Executive Committee which comprises a President,Vice-president,Secretary,Treasurer and 10 Regional Committee members. These members are elected every two years and are responsible for overseeing and implementing the plans and activities of the Association. There are regional committee members for Regions 1,2,7,8, and 9. the current President of the APA is Lawrence Anselmo an Arecuna from Paruima Village, Upper Mazaruni region 7.

APA members and Units: The APA draws it's membership from APA units which are groups of ten or more persons in Amerindian communities. These units work at the community level to promote the rights of the people at the local level and serve as a means of communication between the APA central office in Georgetown and the communities as well as among other communities.

The General Assembly: The general Assembly of the APA is the highest decision making forum of the organisation and is held every two years in an Amerindian community. A representative of each APA unit is mandated to make decision on behalf of the unit at this forum where he/she participates in formulating the general plan of activities for the next two years. That person also takes part in the election of the Central Executive Committee of the APA. The Association held its First General Assembly in 1992 and since then has held four others, the first two in Georgetown,the third in Santa Rosa,Moruca, region 1 , the the fourth in Paruima,Upper Mazaruni, region 7and the fifth in Zeriwa, St. Ignatius Region 9.

Activities of the APA: As an advocacy organisation, the APA engages in activities at various levels to further the objective of the Association. These are community level activities such as training workshops, conferences and field visits that focus mainly on increasing the capacity of communities to deal with issues affecting them. Some communities are engaged in a history recording project where efforts are being made to revive and preserve the traditional cultures of the communities. At the national level, the APA operates as a watchdog body on the government and other agencies in the formulation of policies and other legislation that affects Amerindians. At all times , the organisation seeks to lobby for the inclusion of the policies and legislation that promote and recognise Amerindian right in Guyana. Where there are activities that prove to be or can turn out to be detrimental to Amerindians the APA also seeks to have the situation corrected by bringing these issues to the forefront through dialogue with the individuals, offices or agencies involved. The APA also works at the international level through networking with NGOs and other sympathetic organisations that promote and defend the rights of the Indigenous Peoples throughout the world. At all times the APA tries to share information locally with the communities, at the national level through the press and at the international level via the Internet.

APA Central Office:The centre of activities of the APA is its central office in Georgetown, This office is staffed by persons from the interior communities and is open on a daily basis from Monday to Friday during the hours of 8:30 a.m. -4:30 p.m.

For more information contact the APA Office at

334B East Street
South Cummingsburg
Georgetown
Guyana
Tel:592-227-0275,223-5082 Tel/Fax:592-223-8150
E-mail: apacoica (at) networksgy.com

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