Each group was charged with producing a strategy for their respective sector. A draft National Development Strategy was completed in 1997 and made available to the public for comment. Following some delay due to political turmoil surrounding the next presidential elections, a nonpartisan national committee, comprised of representatives from civil society, is currently reviewing and revising the strategy for submission to Parliament. Once complete, the National Development Strategy will be presented to the international donor community prior to implementation. In Guyana, like many natural resource-rich developing countries, the pursuit of sustainable development must by definition balance complex social, economic, and environmental needs.
Land use is therefore a critical issue in such countries' developmental strategies.
These discussions were documented in a preliminary government policy paper. It is hoped that as a result, definitive land use policies will be developed which promote economic growth in a more environmental and socially harmonious manner. Strengthening Human Rights In July 1996, the Carter Center's Human Rights Program sponsored a two-week community policing workshop in Guyana. Led by the executive director of the National Black Police Association of the United States, the workshop encouraged the development of partnerships between police and the populations they serve. Community policing stresses community ownership of policing policy and respect for diversity in the community, and supports the goals of responsive, representative, and accountable governance.