UNITED NATIONS – Guyana was among five non-permanent members elected on Tuesday to the United Nations Security Council for a two-year term, beginning on 1 January 2024.
Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister, Hugh Todd (hands raised) joins Guyana’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett and other members of the Guyanese delegation in celebrating the country’s election to the UN Security Council (DPI Photo)Guyana become the second Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country in recent times to serve on the UN Security Council after St. Vincent and the Grenadines had a two-year term that ended in 2022.
During the secret voting at the UN General Assembly, Guyana secured 191 votes out of a possible 192 votes. There were six countries vying for the five available seats, namely Algeria, Belarus, Guyana, Republic of Korea, Sierra Leone and Slovenia. They will replace Albania, Brazil, Gabon, Ghana and the United Arab Emirates.
Belarus failed in its bid to secure a seat for the Eastern Europe bloc with the seat going to Slovenia.
A country must obtain the votes of two thirds of the Member States present and voting at the session of the General Assembly in order to obtain a seat. This means that a minimum of 129 positive votes is required to be elected if all 193 UN Member States are present and voting.
In a statement, President Irfaan Ali said Guyana is “honored and humbled by the confidence that has been expressed by the international community in electing us to this important position of responsibility on the global stage”.
He said this marks the third occasion in the country’s history that it has been accorded the opportunity to serve on the Security Council, which is charged under the UN Charter with the responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security.
“It is a responsibility that we will assume with utmost seriousness and dedication, mindful of the complex and challenging times in which we live,” Ali said, noting that the theme of our candidacy ‘Partnering for Peace and Prosperity” serves as a guide to Guyana’s approach to service on the Security Council.
“We intend to be a constructive and engaged partner with the members of the Council and the wider international community in the search for solutions to the myriad of momentous challenges that beset our human family,” he added.
“The government of Guyana looks forward to continuing our nation’s contribution to the strengthening of multilateralism and to the promotion of peace, sustainable development, human rights, and respect for international laws both for the people of our own country and for peoples across the globe,” Ali said in his statement.
