On this date, 20 September, in the year 1966, during its 21st session, the United Nations General Assembly, by acclamation, admitted Guyana as a Member State of the United Nations. Our young nation affirmed Guyana’s faith in the United Nations, and our hope to be “an active rather than a sleeping member” of the Organisation. And indeed, diplomatic activism has been a hallmark of Guyana’s engagement with the United Nations and the international system writ large! We recognised in the United Nations the embodiment of the collective aspirations of the world’s people for a most just, equitable and democratic international order. This recognition was born of our own struggles for self-determination. It was also an acknowledgement that multilateralism and collective action were imperatives to effectively confront the challenges facing our world community.
In the six decades since our admission to the premier international organisation, Guyana has engaged actively and constructively in the work of the United Nations, in support of peace and security, development, human rights, and the rule of International Law. Throughout, we have maintained a principled and purposeful approach. From the very beginnings of our tenure Guyana was entrusted with positions of leadership and responsibility, starting with membership to the Council for Namibia tasked with concluding the process of decolonisation of that territory. Our country engaged the major causes our our time, the struggles against colonialism and apartheid, for a more just international economic and social order, especially for small states, for disarmament and nuclear nonproliferation.
Moreover, Guyana has championed United Nations initiatives promoting sovereign equality, equal rights, self- determination, and people-centred development. We have benefited from the principles of non-intervention and peaceful settlement of disputes. Through strong advocacy and action, we have been a leader in addressing the existential climate crisis. Guyana, through its representatives has served across the spectrum of United Nations organs and activities, including as President of the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council, on the International Court of Justice, the Human Rights Committee and the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women. Guyana also served on two occasions as Chair of the Group of 77 and China, the principal developing country grouping in the UN.
Notably, in this its 60th year of UN membership, Guyana has nominated one of its most distinguished daughters, H.E. Carolyn Rodrigues Birkett, to occupy the high office of Secretary-General. This nomination is a tangible demonstration of Guyana’s enduring belief in the UN and its ideals and of the equal opportunities offered to all Member States in this family of nations regardless of their size.
As we celebrate this 60th anniversary milestone, the Government of Guyana expresses our profound appreciation for the supportive role of the Organisation, including the UN country team, in our country’s pursuit of peace, development and democracy.
We reaffirm our commitment to the United Nations and our faith in the United Nations Charter and International Law. Today, as always, Guyana stands as a committed partner in the continuing global quest for peace and prosperity.