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Leaders of Guyana and Venezuela to meet this week as region worries over their territorial dispute

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As the leaders of Guyana and Venezuela prepare to meet this week to address an scalating dispute over a region rich in oil and minerals, Guyana’s president said he is coming with “goodwill’ but insisted that his country be respected and the case be heard at the International Court of Justice.

President Irfaan Ali spoke to reporters late Sunday, while his security detail wore shirts reading “ESSEQUIBO BELONGS TO GUYANA.”

The dispute over Essequibo, which represents two-thirds of Guyana and borders Venezuela, worsened after Venezuela held a referendum earlier this month on whether to claim sovereignty over the region located near massive oil deposits.

Venezuela maintains that Essequibo was within its boundaries during the Spanish colonial period, and it rejects the border drawn by international arbitrators in 1899 when Guyana was under British rule.

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Guyana’s president is scheduled to meet Thursday with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro behind closed doors on the eastern Caribbean island of St. Vincent. Invited to the talks are leaders including Brazilian President Inacio Lula da Silva.

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“We are very confident that good sense will prevail,” Ali said. “We want peace, but we must be respected.”

He stressed that Guyana will not negotiate with Venezuela, insisting that the case be heard by the International Court of Justice in the Netherlands as planned.

“The world is behind us,” he said.

When asked if the U.S. has committed any military aid, Ali said he signed an advanced defense agreement with the U.S. to ensure that “major training programs and exercises” will continue.

“We also are talking to many other partners,” he said, without details. “We don’t want any conflict. We don’t want any war.”

Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez announced the creation of a commission to carry out the “broadest consultations” on what Venezuela’s proposal should be for the meeting. The commission includes the attorney general, head of the National Assembly and defense minister.

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Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil told reporters that “any decision must be mutual” and asserted that the dispute cannot be settled by the world’s court. In a video posted Sunday on social media, he said he met with his counterpart in Guyana and noted, “We are always in favor of dialogue between both countries to solve this controversy.”

Gil said he also has met with the presidents of CELAC — the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States — and Caricom, a Caribbean trade bloc.

In a statement Saturday, Ralph Gonsalves, prime minister of St. Vincent and the  Grenadines, said the leaderships of CELAC and Caricom believe there is “the urgent need to de-escalate the conflict and institute an appropriate dialogue.”

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Gonsalves noted that Ali agreed to discuss the controversy with Maduro despite Guyana’s Parliament unanimously instructing him not to do it.

“Let us all resolve to make this historic gathering a successful one,” Gonsalves said. “So much is at stake for our Caribbean and Latin American civilization.” — (Source: AP)

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REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST

(CONSULTING SERVICES – INDIVIDUAL SELECTION)

 

OECS MSME Guarantee Facility Project

Loan No.: IDA-62670, IDA-62660, IDA-62640, IBRD-88830, IDA-62650

Assignment Title: Senior Operating Officer (SOO)

Reference No. KN-ECPCGC-207852-CS-INDV

 

The Governments of Antigua and Barbuda, Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines have received financing in the amount of US$10 million equivalent from the World Bank towards the cost of establishing a partial credit guarantee scheme, and they intend to apply part of the proceeds to payments for goods, and consulting services to be procured under this project. 

The consultant will serve as the “Senior Operating Officer (SOO)” for the ECPCGC and should possess extensive knowledge of MSME lending with some direct experience lending to Micro, small and medium-sized businesses, knowledge of the internal control processes necessary for a lending operation and the ability to design and implement risk mitigation procedures. The ideal candidate should possess an Undergraduate Degree from a reputable college or university, preferably in Business, Accounting, Banking or related field, with a minimum of 5 years’ experience in lending, inclusive of MSME lending. The initial employment period will be for two years on a contractual basis. Renewal of the contract will be subject to a performance evaluation at the end of the contractual period. The assignment is expected to begin on September 30th, 2021.  The consultant will report directly to the Chief Executive Officer of the ECPCGC.

The detailed Terms of Reference (TOR) for the assignment can be viewed by following the attached link below. 

 

https://bit.ly/3iVannm

 

The Eastern Caribbean Partial Credit Guarantee Corporation (ECPCGC) now invites eligible “Consultants” to indicate their interest in providing the Services. Interested Consultants should provide information demonstrating that they have:

  • An Undergraduate Degree from a reputable college or university, preferably in Business, Finance, Banking or related field; and
  • Minimum of 5 years’ experience in MSME lending. Applicants should also have:
  • The ability to design and implement risk management procedures 
  • Extensive knowledge of MSME lending with some direct experience lending to small and medium-sized businesses
  • Extensive knowledge of MSME banking operations
  • Knowledge of the internal controls necessary for a lending operation and the ability to design and implement risk management procedures
  • Experience developing and presenting information in public, including responding to questions in real-time
  • Experience lending to MSMEs located in the ECCU
  • Knowledge of marketing and communicating with the MSME sector
  • Ability to draft procedures to be used in a lending operation
  • Familiarity with the mechanics of a loan guarantee program
  • Exceptional written, oral, interpersonal, and presentation skills, and
  • Proficiency in the use of Microsoft Office suite.

The attention of interested Individual Consultants is drawn to Section III, Paragraphs 3.14, 3.16, and 3.17 of the World Bank’s Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers July 2016, [revised November 2017] (“Procurement Regulations”), setting forth the World Bank’s policy on conflict of interest. A Consultant will be selected in accordance with the Approved Selection Method for Individual Consultants set out in the clause 7.34 of the World Bank Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers. 

 

Further information can be obtained at the address below during office hours 0800 to 1700 hours:

Eastern Caribbean Partial Credit Guarantee Corporation

Brid Rock, Basseterre,

St. Kitts.

Expressions of interest must be delivered in a written form by e-mail by August 11th, 2021, to [email protected]

 

For further information, please contact:

Carmen Gomez-Trigg                                                            Bernard Thomas

Chief Executive Officer                                                          Chief Financial Officer

Tel: 868-620-8144                                                                  Tel: 869-765-2385

Email: [email protected]                                          [email protected]