Guyana’s Head of State, President Irfaan Ali has declared that his nation’s priority is peace and wants the region to remain a “Zone of Peace.”
President Ali made this remark while addressing the VIII Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), being held in St Vincent and the Grenadines. He began by taking the opportunity as a member of the CARICOM family to acknowledge and congratulate the Government and people of St. Vincent and the Grenadines for its leadership role and stewardship of the Presidency of the Pro Tempore Secretariat over the last year. He said that St Vincent and the Grenadines has done the region proud in guiding the work of CELAC over the past year, and in particular the engagement with the EU in July 2023 after a hiatus of several years. He noted too that Guyana was Guyana was pleased to host the Meeting of the CELAC Ministers of Agriculture held in Georgetown in June 2023.
The president then turned his attention to the issue of peace and stability of the region which he asserted “must remain paramount,” while stressing that Latin America and the Caribbean must remain a Zone of Peace. He referenced the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza where “senseless acts of aggression and inhumanity” have consumed the efforts of the international community to find ways in which the citizens of Ukraine and Palestine can be relieved of their suffering. But so far these have been unsuccessful. “We must never allow the peoples of this region to be subjected to such actions. The genocide in Palestine must come to an end and hostages held must be returned.”
It was with this in mind, Ali explained, that Guyana accepted the offer of Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves and other CARICOM Heads, Brazil, and the UN as an observer, to facilitate a dialogue with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro last December to address the tensions that had arisen between the two states. At the time he assured everyone that he was prepared to speak with President Maduro – who was present yesterday – on any aspect that may contribute to enhancing the relationship between the two countries. However, concerning Venezuela’s claim to the Essequibo, he reminded that the matter is before the International Court of Justice, while the Joint Declaration of Argyle on Dialogue and Peace acknowledges that Guyana is committed to the process and procedures of the International Court of Justice for the resolution of the border controversy.
“I can assure you that Guyana remains steadfast in its commitment to the international judicial process, as well as, to maintaining our region as a ‘Zone of Peace’. We want peace. We want prosperity for our neighbours and all in this region. We want to be our brother’s keeper with our neighbour.”
Ali also suggested that instead of drawing conclusions, States within the region must ascertain the facts, failing which, it can lead to destabilization. He mentioned as an example, the air surveillance and sea exercises which were mentioned by Bolivia, which were part of bilateral and regional security cooperation and had nothing to do with the Guyana/Vene-zuela controversy.
At this juncture, the Head of State declared that his commitment to the august gathering is that “Guyana and everything we do is built on peace and our fundamental values are based on peace. We are a peaceful people!” He added, “I assure all leaders here that Guyana’s priority is peace and you can have the confidence that our territory will never ever be used as a platform of war or for war.”
Moving on, the Presi-dent posited that CELAC can play a pivotal role in seeking to address issues that impact the sustainable development of the region, such as climate change, energy security, and food and nutrition security. He observed that climate change and extreme weather conditions have begun to put the world’s food production and global food security at risk, and all this has been made worse by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, closer to home, he noted that Guyana as the lead in Caricom on this initiative continues to advocate for food and nutrition security in the region. “My government welcomes collaborative efforts and partnerships in the retooling effort to build the necessary capacity to meet the rising need for expertise in the advancement of this sector.”
Disproportionate
President Ali told the gathering that Guyana is cognizant of the “disproportionate” exposure to the harmful effects of climate change on many of the local industries, while the country’s low-lying coastal plain is subject to flooding from both the rising sea and the increased intensity of rainfall. He informed that his government has embarked on the implementation of a low-carbon development strategy which focuses on forest climate and other ecosystem services, stimulation of future growth through clean energy and sustainable economic activities, protection against climate change, and alignment of the country’s economic and social policies with global climate goals. Understanding that all this carries a cost, he reiterated Guyana’s call for the fulfillment of the financial commitments needed to address and support climate mitigation, adaptation and loss and damage, especially in vulnerable countries. And on this issue, he acknowledged and applauded the work done by Barbados Prime Minis-ter, Mia Mottley.
The President then focussed on what he termed as his third key objective – the preservation of forests and the important role of forests in climate mitigation and adaptation, including through Reducing Emis-sions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation. “I believe that CELAC must galvanise its advocacy for the sustainable management of forests, and the conservation and enhancement of forest carbon stocks (REDD+) processes, and other policy approaches as decided by the Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. I am therefore most appreciative of the invitation extended by His Excellency President Lula Da Silva for Guyana to present to the G20 in July of this year our model for the preservation of the forest – a model that Guyana would also be happy to present to the Member States of CELAC at the earliest possible opportunity.”
He noted that CARICOM has had the advantage of developing strategies, partnerships with third countries, and external regional groupings and coupled with the necessary political will, there is scope for revolutionizing the interaction with these States and regional groupings. This will ensure that mutual interests can be pursued, enabling the harnessing the potential of respective resources – both human and economic capital – channelling them into effective projects and programmes that focus on collective development. Ali also took time to applaud again, President Lula’s vision on the infrastructural integration of the region.
The assurance was given that the Government of Guyana remains committed to the diversification of its economic and investors portfolio, placing emphasis on the traditional sectors while developing new and emerging ones. The President encouraged more companies to explore investment opportunities in areas such as agri-tech, eco and destination tourism, the construction industry, pharmaceuticals and renewable energy. “We are creating an enabling environment, conducive to the generation of trade and investment opportunities.”
He also stressed that the framework for advancing cooperation within this grouping is highly valued by Guyana as it provides avenues for enhanced development and convergence on issues in areas of collective interest.
In his closing remarks, the President reiterated his appreciation to Prime Minister Gonsalves for his outstanding hosting of this Summit and for his astute leadership. He also sought to assure the President of the Republic of Honduras, Xiomara Castro Sarmiento, of his full support as she assumes the role of the Pro Tempore Presidency. Further assurance was given that Guyana stands firmly committed to the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States and pledged to work with them in preserving the integration mechanism.
“The collective commitment of all of us to international law, the safety and security of our people and region, safeguarding democracy and the upliftment of the dignity of all our people is paramount.”
Finally, the Head of State repeated the call for the “dismantling of the unacceptable embargo against our sister Caribbean State of Cuba. The economic and political aggression must come to an end and the designation of Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism must also come to an end.” Cuba’s President Miguel Díaz-Canel was also present.
