For the 2023 and 2024 reporting periods, GGMC identified the following licences granted in Amerindian titled lands:
| No. | File No. | Company | Application Date | Property Type | Mineral | Grant Date | Status | Amerindian Titled Land | Community Agreement Required / Received | GGMC Participation in Consultation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | LM40: D-1003/001/21 | Demerara Quarry Inc. | 2021-12-13 | QL | Quarriable Materials | 2024-04-26 | Granted | Batavia | Yes | No |
| 16 | LM41: E-1000/000/22 | EKAA HRIM Earth Resources Management Inc. | 2022-12-09 | ML | Aggregates, Dimension Stones | 2023-04-20 | Granted | Batavia | Yes | No |
| 19 | GS14: L-1000/002/21 | Laurentian Mountain Resources (Guyana) Inc. | 2021-05-27 | PL | REE, Rare Earth Elements, Radioactive Minerals | 2023-04-06 | Granted | Kangaruma | Yes | No |
| 21 | GS14: L-1000/001/21 | Laurentian Mountain Resources (Guyana) Inc. | 2021-05-27 | PL | REE, Rare Earth Elements, Radioactive Minerals | 2023-04-06 | Granted | Tassarene | Yes | No |
Community Consultation and FPIC – the Role of Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC)
Under the applicable legal framework, GGMC is not a party to the negotiations between an applicant for mining tenure and an affected Amerindian community or Village Council and does not conduct or supervise those negotiations.
In accordance with section 48 of the Amerindian Act 2006, the responsibility for consultation and negotiation rests with the mining applicant and the relevant Village Council. GGMC may facilitate the consultations, but may not take part in negotiations between the mining applicant and the village.
The consultations contemplated under section 48 of the Amerindian Act provide the statutory framework within which the applicant and the relevant Village Council, under the auspices of the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs, engage on the proposed mining activity and negotiate the requisite agreement. It is within this consultation and engagement process that the scope for FPIC to occur arises, with the responsibility for the conduct and outcome of the negotiations resting with the parties.
To support the parties in fulfilling their respective responsibilities, GGMC seeks to ensure that relevant information concerning the statutory mining process and applicable legal and regulatory requirements is generally available to applicants, Village Councils and other interested stakeholders. This is intended to promote transparency, access to information and an informed understanding of the requirements applicable to the mining licensing process.
For mining activities on Amerindian titled lands, where an agreement is required under the applicable law, the requisite agreement must be concluded and submitted to the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission before the relevant mineral tenure is issued. A mineral tenure will not be issued in the absence of the required agreement. Consequently, GGMC certifies that out of a total of three (3) licences issued in 2023 and one (1) licence in 2024 on Amerindian titled lands, none was issued without the submission of FPIC-related agreement between the relevant parties.
The submission of the requisite agreement does not, however, bring the public participation process to an end. As part of the statutory licensing process, the intention to grant the mineral tenure is published in the Official Gazette providing a further twenty-one (21) day period during which members of the public and other interested persons may review the proposed grant and communicate concerns or objections. This provides an additional opportunity for concerns to be raised and, where necessary, for further consultation or engagement to occur before the licensing process is concluded.
In conclusion, GGMC’s role is confined to the statutory licensing process and limited in accordance with the Amerindian Act 2006 where consultation is concerned.