Guyana used its two stints presiding over the United Nations Security Council to push issues often sidelined in global security debates, particularly the links between climate change, food insecurity and conflict, President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali said as the country formally concluded its two-year term on the Council.
“Guyana had the distinction of presiding over the Security Council in February 2024 and again in June 2025,” President Ali noted, explaining that under Guyana’s presidency, two signature events were convened focusing on “the impact of climate change and food insecurity on the maintenance of international peace and security” and on “poverty, underdevelopment, and conflict, implications for international peace and security.”
Guyana’s tenure as an elected member of the United Nations Security Council ran from January 1, 2024, and was guided by the theme “partnering for peace and prosperity.” According to President Ali, that period coincided with “a time of profound global and regional upheaval,” including the war in Ukraine, the conflict in Gaza, violence in Sudan, and the spread of terrorism and violent extremism across the Sahel.
He said the Council also grappled with severe humanitarian and political crises in Haiti, Syria, Yemen and Myanmar, alongside renewed tensions in 2025 between India and Pakistan, and between Cambodia and Thailand. “These matters were deliberated on amid deep geopolitical divisions among the permanent members, which often hindered achievement of consensus,” the President said.
Despite those challenges, Guyana pursued what President Ali described as “an active and collaborative approach,” working closely with other elected members and regional partners. He highlighted the A3 Plus collaboration, under which Guyana worked with African members of the Council and co-authored resolutions and statements on issues including Sudan, Libya, Benin and the Guyana-Venezuela controversy.
Guyana also coordinated with other elected members to advocate for ceasefire and expanded humanitarian access in Gaza and co-authored several resolutions addressing the situation. Among its legislative contributions, President Ali pointed to a “landmark resolution on youth, peace, and security,” co-authored with Sierra Leone, which was “unanimously adopted by the Council on the 12th of December 2025.”
The resolution, he said, calls for “enhanced youth participation and leadership in peace processes, conflict prevention, peace building, recovery, and reconstruction at all levels.”
During its tenure, Guyana chaired the Security Council’s sanctions committee on Haiti and served as vice-chair of committees concerning Afghanistan and the Central African Republic, while also contributing to other subsidiary bodies and high-level briefings.
Reflecting on the overall experience, President Ali said Guyana was “widely regarded as a principled and constructive actor, formally committed to multilateralism, the United Nations Charter, and the rule of international law,” adding that the country’s service “has brought immense acclaim and enhanced (its) standing on the global stage.”
