President Dr Irfaan Ali took the world stage at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Wednesday afternoon with an unshakeable message, telling global leaders that while Guyana is a “small and peaceful state,” it will never yield to threats and aggression from neighbouring Venezuela.
Speaking at the 80th Session of the UNGA, Ali placed Guyana’s ongoing territorial controversy with Venezuela squarely within the broader struggle of small states to defend sovereignty and the rule of law.
“We will not cower to coercion, intimidation, or unilateral action,” Ali declared.
The border controversy centres on the Essequibo region, which makes up more than two-thirds of Guyana’s landmass. Venezuela has claimed the territory for decades, even though the 1899 Arbitral Award settled the boundary in Guyana’s favour. In 2018, Guyana referred the matter to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which has twice affirmed its jurisdiction and, in 2023, issued provisional measures ordering Venezuela to refrain from altering the status quo.
Yet, as Ali reminded the Assembly, Venezuela has “persisted with unilateral laws and threats of annexation, flagrantly violating international law, the UN Charter, and the very principles that sustain global order.”
In December 2023, Venezuela held a referendum claiming to incorporate Essequibo as a new state, despite warnings from the ICJ. Since then, political rhetoric from Caracas has remained hostile, with repeated declarations that the territory belongs to Venezuela.
Ali told delegates that the stakes go beyond Guyana’s borders. “If the rights of a small state can be trampled upon and legally binding orders ignored, what protection remains for any nation under international law?” he asked.
For Guyana, the defence of Essequibo is not only about territory but about principle and that international law must be respected, regardless of a country’s size or military strength.
Ali publicly thanked Guyana’s “international partners and allies for their solidarity,” though he did not name countries. In recent years, Guyana has secured vocal backing from the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the Organisation of American States (OAS), the Commonwealth, and the United States, among others.
That support, analysts say, is tied to both principle and geopolitics. The Essequibo region is believed to contain significant oil and mineral wealth, with major discoveries offshore already transforming Guyana into one of the fastest-growing economies in the world. A destabilised border controversy could unsettle energy markets and regional security.
Notably, Venezuela is also scheduled to speak at the UNGA, though its delegation has often used the forum to reiterate claims over Essequibo. Guyana’s decision to highlight the controversy in such stark terms was widely seen as a pre-emptive move, framing the controversy in international law rather than allowing it to be portrayed as a bilateral quarrel.
Ali’s timing was also deliberate: Guyana is completing its two-year term as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council in December, giving it a platform to draw attention to the issue at the highest levels of multilateral diplomacy.
“For us, the principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity, and non-interference are non-negotiable,” Ali told the Assembly.
The ICJ is expected to rule definitively on the case in the coming years. Until then, Guyana insists it will continue to abide by the court’s processes, while demanding that Venezuela do the same.
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