National Trust of Guyana

The National Trust of Guyana was established following the passage of the National Trust Act, No. 7 of 1972. The Act “makes provision for the preservation of monuments, sites, places and objects of historic interest or national importance.” Its main responsibility is the preservation of all monuments in Guyana. Under the National Trust Act, the term ‘monuments’ includes any building, structure, object or other work of man or of nature whether above or below the surface of the land or the floor of the sea within territorial waters of Guyana and any site, cave or excavation. National Monuments are the vested responsibility of the Trust and are gazetted as such after approval by Parliament. At present there are nine gazetted National Monuments.

Mission
To conserve, preserve and promote the nation’s patrimony so that the present and future generations will access and enjoy the richness of Guyana’s heritage.

Functions The general function of the National Trust is “to promote the permanent preservation for the benefit of the nation of property of beauty or historic interest” which includes:
the preservation of buildings and/or places of national, architectural, historic, artistic or natural interest or importance and the protection and development of the amenities of such buildings and places and their surroundings;
- the preservation of furniture, pictures and chattels of any description having national, historic or artistic interest;
- the access to and enjoyment of such buildings, places and chattels by the public.

Role
- Provide advice to the Minister on all matters pertaining to the cultural heritage of Guyana,
- Provide services to the public in relation to the safeguarding and promotion of heritage sites and monuments in Guyana,
- Sensitize members of the public about monuments and heritage sites in Guyana,
- Ensure that adequate policies are in place to safeguard and protect the cultural heritage resources while networking with relevant stakeholders,
- Ensure the long term survival of the nation’s heritage sites,
- Preserve and archive important aspects of the nation’s cultural resources.