Guyana’s President Dr. Irfaan Ali and Vice President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo returned from this year’s global climate talks, COP28, days ago but on Thursday, the Vice President made it clear that this conference was perhaps one of the best places to tell world leaders about Venezuela’s actions.
COP28 is being held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) from November 30 to December 12. Over the first few days of the conference, scores of world leaders and their delegations gathered at the Expo City venue, each sharing their vision of how the earth should be saved. Other top officials, like the Secretary-General of the United Nations António Guterres, were there too.
“In Guyana’s case, we went to a gathering where you had most of the world leaders in a single room and we could’ve spoken to them one-on-one or their delegations.
“What’s the best focus to advocate for your cause than one where all the leaders are there together? You would not have met them in that manner, in a very informal manner almost, even if you worked the phones for days,” Jagdeo said.
His statements seemed to be in response to concerns raised about the presence of himself and President Ali there while Venezuela was forging ahead with its December 3 referendum on Guyana’s Essequibo region. He, however, pointed out that President Ali was back by December 2 and he went back just after.
And he made it clear just how valuable this conference was for Guyana. It wasn’t just a place where Guyana talked about its vast trees or the money it needs to protect itself from the climate crisis.
“It was one of the best vehicles for us to pursue diplomacy and to bring to their attention not just their advances on the forests, etc, but also brief them on Venezuela’s aggressive intentions on our country and bring them up to date on how this matter was settled in 1899,” he said.
It isn’t just that Guyana wanted to inform other countries of Venezuela’s action. The Vice President explained that the engagements were strategic; they were meant to shore up tangible and intangible support for Guyana.
“One thing is important in this world is forging relationships with allies that have greater capabilities and share strategic interests.
“… We have allies who share that interest, they want peace in this region. They are prepared to defend peace in this region,” he told reporters.
Since Venezuela’s sham referendum, many have condemned the country’s Nicolas Maduro government. The country is increasing its aggressions including through a redraw of its map to include Guyana and demanding that investors leave.
Guyana is engaging the entire international community on these actions.
In 1899, the borders of Guyana (then British Guiana) and Venezuela were settled, with Venezuela inheriting 13,000 square kilometres of what was then British Guiana territory – an area bigger than Jamaica or Lebanon.
Venezuela participated in that tribunal and accepted the boundary award for about six decades until 1966 when British Guiana was about to become an independent state, Guyana. Venezuela then challenged the award, raising concerns about the 1899 award.
So the 1966 Geneva Agreement was created, establishing a framework to resolve the controversy. This is a political agreement, not a legal one like the 1899 Award. And for decades after this agreement, Guyana and Venezuela were locked in bilateral talks and a UN-backed engagement known as the Good Offices process.
In mid-February 2017, the new UN Secretary-General António Guterres appointed Dag Halvor Nylander of Norway as his Personal Representative on the Border Controversy, in a final effort at dialogue to settle the matter. That failed and on January 31, 2018, the UN Secretary-General referred the matter to the ICJ and Guyana filed its case.
In 2020, the ICJ found that it has the jurisdiction to hear the border case and earlier this year, it threw out Venezuela’s preliminary objections that, among other things, the United Kingdom must also be part of the case.
Guyana hopes for a final, binding ruling from the ICJ that reaffirms the 1899 Arbitral Award and makes it clear that the Essequibo region is its own. Venezuela refuses to recognise the Court and seems to be forging ahead with its referendum.
