- Guyana takes up seat on United Nations Security Council
Guyana formally began its two-year tenure on the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday, joining five other countries.
Guyana, Algeria, the Republic of Korea, Sierra Leone, and Slovenia were elected in June of last year to replace Albania, Brazil, Gabon, Ghana, and the United Arab Emirates, whose terms expired on December 31 of last year.
In New York, China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, five permanent members sit around the distinctive horseshoe table.
The General Assembly, which is made up of all 193 UN Member States, elects the ten non-permanent members to create regional balance.
France is the Security Council’s president for the month of January, and the Israel-Palestine conflict and war in Gaza are expected to remain top priorities for diplomats.
Ambassador Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, Guyana’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, raised the Guyana flag with that of other Security Council members outside the Council chambers.
Ambassador Rodrigues-Birkett stated in a brief statement that her country recognises that the task of maintaining international peace and security is becoming increasingly complex with multidimensional challenges, and that the Council is therefore obligated to be proactive in addressing potential sources of conflict and comprehensive in its response to existing conflict situations.
She stated that Guyana will pursue a people-centered approach, including the inclusion of women and youth in the search for solutions, always keeping in mind that conflict is a generator of poverty and underdevelopment, and hence detrimental to the fulfilment of the Sustainable Development Goals.
“Partnering for Peace and Prosperity” is the theme of Guyana’s Security Council participation.
Guyana stated that its tenure on the Security Council will be guided by the priorities of climate change, food insecurity, and conflict; peacebuilding and conflict prevention; women, peace, and security; children in armed conflict protection; and youth, peace, and security.
According to Georgetown, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country has accepted the “Joint Pledge on Climate, Peace, and Security” and joined the “Statement of Shared Commitments on Women, Peace, and Security.”
Guyana will serve on the Council for the third time, having previously served from 1975 to 1976 and 1982 to 1983.
