Minister of Foreign Affairs, Karen Cummings, is leading a high-level delegation that includes Foreign Secretary, Carl B. Greenidge, to the General Debate of the seventy-fourth session of the United Nations General Assembly scheduled to be held at the Organization’s New York Headquarters next week.
The Guyana delegation will join Monarchs, Heads of State and Government and Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the 193 United Nations Member States from 23 to 30 September as they focus on, among other areas, issues of climate change and the impact of global warming, engage in High-level Dialogue on Financing for Development to unlock resources for implementation of sustainable development goals, and convene the first ever High-level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage to secure commitments from Governments to ensure that everyone has access to health care.
Dr. Cummings is expected to address the global body on Saturday 28 September under the theme of the General Debate, “Galvanizing multilateral efforts for poverty eradication, quality education, climate action and inclusion.” She will also deliver remarks at a number of forums, such as the High-level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage and meetings of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM).
Guyana’s Permanent Representative and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the United Nations, His Excellency Rudolph Michael Ten-Pow, has expressed that, “As Guyana stands poised for transformational changes with the emergence of its new oil and gas sector, our message throughout the week will be engagement with the international community in a multilateral effort to address the grave challenges it faces as well as respect for the institutions that underpin the international architecture established under the United Nations Charter for the maintenance of peace and security at the regional and international levels.”
In that light, during the week, in their deliberations, the Guyanese delegation will place strong focus on education, health, financing for development, climate change and the environment, gender equality, and the empowerment of women. Additionally, they will participate in a number of high-level meetings convened by the Commonwealth, Caribbean Community (CARICOM), OIC, NAM, and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) to discuss and explore matters of common interest, and engage in bilateral encounters with countries from the Caribbean, Eastern Europe, and South America and other friendly States.
Further, in keeping with the Green State Development Strategy, Guyana will be renewing its commitment at the Climate Action Summit to sustainably manage its forest cover as its national contribution to global efforts to combat the harmful effect of greenhouse gases.
Government views its participation in this session of United Nations General Assembly as a demonstration of its unwavering commitment to effectively represent Guyana’s interest internationally in efforts to preserve national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and to contribute to the economic and social development of Guyanese through the use of diplomacy.
