His Excellency President Dr Irfaan Ali delivered an emphatic address at the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), where he spoke extensively about global challenges, including food security, mass displacement, human rights violations, raging conflicts, territorial integrity and sovereignty, and the escalating impacts of climate change.
In his address, the President emphasised the importance of the United Nations, particularly in shaping international law, promoting development and human rights, resolving disputes, providing humanitarian aid, and advancing self-determination and independence.
He said that the UN, “our organisation, has delivered”, and for over eight decades, “we have worked together for the greater good”.
“From 51 Member States in 1945 to 193 today, the UN has established itself as the premier organisation for multilateralism. In fact, it is difficult to imagine our world without the United Nations,” he added.
The world, he said, must honestly and openly reflect on the last 80 years of the UN and consider where it stands today, recognising that conflicts are raging as geopolitical tensions rise, food insecurity worsens, displacement increases, human rights are being neglected, and climate change threatens lives and livelihoods.
“Our Sustainable Development Goals are imperilled by shrinking development and budget support. Spending on peacekeeping budgets is diminishing, and humanitarian costs are soaring. Meanwhile, global military spending in 2024 saw its steepest annual increase since the Cold War.”
He emphasised that the UN’s noble mission to maintain international peace and security will ring hollow if it allows power to triumph over principle and might to override right. And in remaining faithful to its charter, the UN must ensure that the survival and progress of humanity are not mortgaged to the ambitions of the powerful.
“The collective will of our membership must be reflected in the institutions and governance structures of the United Nations, including the Security Council.”
The Current Global Crises
The Guyanese Head of State addressed several ongoing global crises, highlighting that a dark shadow currently hangs over the 80th Session of the UNGA due to the genocide in Palestine, the annexation of Ukrainian territory, the persecution of women in Afghanistan, a humanitarian catastrophe in Sudan, brutal gang violence in Haiti, and rising transnational organised crime, trafficking, and illegal migration. These, the President pointed out, are compounded by new rising challenges including cybercrime, cyber terrorism, the pandemic of misinformation and disinformation and the abuse of social media.
Speaking specifically about the genocide in Palestine, the President reiterated Guyana’s condemnation of the attacks by Hamas on Israel on October 7, 2023. He repeated Guyana’s call for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages. President Ali said that Israel’s actions have long shattered any pretence of legitimate self-defence.
“What we are witnessing is not warfare, but mass extermination, a systematic slaughter and displacement of Palestinian men, women, and children. Those who escape the bombs and bullets are condemned to die slowly, starved of food, water, and hope. This is a war crime.”
The President emphasised that the international community must not remain paralysed while an entire people is annihilated.
“Impunity must never triumph over justice. We must take urgent action to halt the genocide, return the hostages and accelerate our efforts towards the Two-State Solution. We urge Qatar, Egypt and the United States to continue their efforts in this regard.”
Speaking on the Russia-Ukraine War, President Ali said the situation remains of utmost concern and that Guyana reiterates its call for the end of the war and supports Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
President Ali stressed that the international community must act decisively in Haiti, where gang violence and shortages of food and medicine have pushed the nation into deepening despair. He said that restoring security is the foremost priority and requires the strict enforcement of the arms embargo and robust support for an UN-authorised mission.
The President also emphasised that without urgent humanitarian funding and a Haitian-led and owned political process, stability will remain elusive.
“We must address the root causes of Haiti’s continuing troubles, including its historical debt burdens, which stymie its development prospects and upliftment of its peoples. As President Macron acknowledged, making Haiti pay for its independence was unjust. This is a welcome step.”
Turning his attention to Cuba, His Excellency said that at 80, the time has come for an open discussion at the United Nations about Cuba, one that would lead to the prosperity of the country’s people and the realisation of its full potential.
“Central to this dialogue is the lifting of the embargo on Cuba and its removal from the list as a State Sponsor of terrorism.”
Guyana–Venezuela Controversy
The President reiterated Guyana’s confidence in international law.
He said that Guyana, a small and peaceful state, hasendured repeated threats and aggression from the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, reminding that the territorial controversy between the states is currentlybefore the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which has twice affirmed its jurisdiction, and which, in 2023 issued provisional measures ordering Venezuela to refrain from altering the status quo.
“Yet, Venezuela persists with unilateral laws and threats of annexation, flagrantly violating international law, the UN Charter, and the very principles that sustain global order,” the President said.
He added that “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? Yet, Guyana continues to repose confidence in international law. For us, the principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity and non-interference are not negotiable.”
President Ali emphasised that as the UN marks its 80thanniversary, it is important to remember that the organisation was born out of crisis, not comfort, shaped from the ashes of war to act as the conscience and guiding compass of humanity.
“If the UN is to remain humanity’s best hope, it must stand firm against aggression and remain fully engaged with the great questions of our time. We must be bold in recognising the necessity for institutional adjustments that will advance the organisation’s success.”
The President emphasised that our generation will not be judged by the eloquence of our declarations, but by the substance of our deeds.
“From the ruins of Gaza to the streets of Haiti, from Kiev to the drowning coasts of small island states, the peoples of the world cry out for more than words. To honour eighty years of promise is to act with courage, to match principle with action, and to bind ourselves once more to the dream of a world united, not by fear or force, but by shared destiny and enduring hope.”