Guyana urges UN to take principled stand on Palestine for ‘lasting solution’

In a powerful and unflinching address to the United Nations Security Council, Guyana’s Permanent Representative, Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, has called on the global body to take a firm and principled stand on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The Guyana Representative has urged the Security Council to uphold international law consistently, demand accountability for violations, and end the perpetual cycles of violence that continue to devastate both Palestinian and Israeli civilians.

“The resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict calls for principled consistency. By this I mean that there must be principled and consistent application of international law, and principled and consistent responses to wrongdoing. The approach to this conflict should not be determined by convenience based on present circumstances, because this presents the risk of acting from expediency rather than principle. Guyana therefore appeals to this Council and to all member states to consistently adopt a principled approach to the Palestinian question as we collectively seek to advance a lasting solution,” Rodrigues-Birkett’s said during her speech at the Security Council briefing on The Situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian Question.
Earlier in the month, an Israeli airstrike on Gaza resulted in the deaths of over 400 Palestinians. This attack came after nearly two months of calm, since a ceasefire had been brokered between the two Middle East nations.
In her address, the Guyanese diplomat unequivocally condemned Hamas’s hostage-taking during the October 7 attacks on Israel, calling it a grave violation of international law. However, she also emphasised that addressing the root causes of the conflict — including occupation, political exclusion, and human rights abuses — was essential to preventing further violence.
“We further stress the imperative of ensuring humanitarian access to these individuals, to attend to their medical and other needs. Guyana also emphasizes the obligation of parties to ensure that the remains of anyone who died while being held hostage or detained are handled with dignity and respect…There must be an immediate end to the ongoing hostilities in Gaza (in order) to create the conditions for peace, recovery, and for a lasting, just, and comprehensive end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” she urged.
Rodrigues-Birkett did not shy away from challenging the Security Council itself, urging it to step up and enforce accountability for violations of international law. In this regard, she made a pointed criticism of selective enforcement of international law, warning against responses driven by political convenience rather than consistent principles.
“The Security Council must be at the forefront of efforts to address breaches of international law, which have implications for the maintenance of international peace and security. Given its primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security, the Council should be the first to demand accountability for such breaches. It must also be first to institute measures, in keeping with the scope provided by the UN Charter, to address violations of international law, including in circumstances where those violations feature as the taking of hostages or the administrative detention of innocent civilians. Accountability is an important deterrent,” Rodrigues-Birkett said.
Guyana, which began its two-year term on the Security Council in January, has consistently advocated for peace in Gaza. Just a few days ago, Guyana sounded calls at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for efforts to be directed towards a ceasefire between Palestine and Israel with the aim of prioritising peace for their peoples.
In her speech, Rodrigues-Birkett also issued a clear and urgent appeal for immediate humanitarian relief for Palestinians trapped under Israel’s siege in Gaza. She called for an end to the aid blockade, which has left millions of Palestinians without access to food, medicine, and basic necessities, and demanded the release of both Israeli hostages held by Hamas and Palestinians imprisoned without charge in Israeli jails.
She concluded with a resolute commitment to peace and justice, stating, “Let us work to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza; to bring home the remaining men, women and children which Hamas took hostage from Israel, and the Palestinians detained in Israeli jails without charge; and to end the aid blockade on Gaza, which is once again stifling Palestinian civilians. Guyana is prepared to do its part to this end in compliance with international law”.