As the 71st session of the United Nations General Assembly commences, President David Granger is expected to raise the ongoing border controversy with neighbouring Venezuela, with several international bodies.
The annual meeting of 193 countries officially opened on Tuesday at the UN’s Headquarters in New York. According to Foreign Affairs Minister Carl Greenidge, President Granger will be raising the issue during his presentation to the General Assembly on September 20.
“He will doubtless also be addressing issues pertaining to the greening of Guyana…,” Minister Greenidge said during a round-table discussion on the Foreign Policy Fact Files Programme.
The President is also expected to highlight issues of global governance during his presentation. “He will touch upon the problems of global governance, the issues pertaining to how the small and the voiceless can be given the opportunity to have their messages heard, and to have the UN act in a manner that is consistent with their interests,” the Minister stated.
Moreover, Guyana will also have meetings on the sidelines with Commonwealth Foreign Affairs Ministers during the General Assembly where a sub-committee is expected to address the border controversy, Greenidge pointed out.
“The Commonwealth Foreign Ministers will in the course of their deliberations be looking at issues they’ve highlighted: problems of governance within the Commonwealth and also problems of borders,” he explained.
The border issue will again come up during meetings with Caricom’s Council for Foreign and Community Relations (COFCOR). “COFCOR will also be meeting with the same view, to look at common issues and to ensure that their positions are synchronised,” Greenidge further detailed.
According to the Foreign Affairs Minister, peace and security are major concerns of Guyana during this sitting. He added that agriculture and issues pertaining to gender are among some of the other focus areas for Guyana at this year’s General Assembly.
Minister Greenidge and a team from the Foreign Affairs Ministry, along with Guyana’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Michael Ten-Pow, will also be in attendance at the General Assembly.
