Guyana has assumed the rotating presidency of the United Nations Security Council for the month of June, taking the helm of the Council’s agenda during a period of escalating global conflict and slow progress toward sustainable development goals.
The Caribbean nation, which began its current two-year term on the Council in January 2024, will lead a packed calendar of meetings addressing crises in Syria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq, Afghanistan, Central Africa, Sudan, Libya, and Yemen. The Council will also hold a mandated session on Resolution 2334, which concerns Israeli settlements in Palestinian territories.
A key feature of Guyana’s presidency will be a High-Level Open Debate on June 19, chaired by President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali. The debate, titled “Poverty, Underdevelopment and Conflict: Implications for the Maintenance of International Peace and Security,” will explore how poverty and underdevelopment serve both as causes and consequences of conflict. Speakers will include representatives from the UN system, the African Union, and various UN Member States. The event comes as armed conflicts continue to rise and the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals remain off track.
Guyana will also convene the annual Open Debate on Children and Armed Conflict on June 25. Briefings will be delivered by Virginia Gamba, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, and UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. Member States will respond to the Secretary-General’s latest annual report on the issue.
Throughout the month, Guyana plans to spotlight several of its priority issues: conflict prevention, the link between security and development, the effects of climate change on peace and security, the protection of children in conflict zones, and the women, peace and security agenda.
The Council’s Programme of Work is expected to be adopted on Monday, June 2, after which Guyana’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, will brief the media on the month’s agenda and objectives.
This marks Guyana’s third time serving on the Security Council, following previous terms in 1975–1976 and 1982–1983.
