Pres. Ali to chair high-level debate at UNSC as Guyana assumes Presidency for June

For the second time since becoming a member in 2024, Guyana has assumed the Presidency of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for the month of June.
Commenced on Sunday, June 1, 2025, the packed scheduled for the one-month tenure includes several mandated meetings of the Council on topical areas such as Syria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq, Afghanistan, Central Africa, Sudan, Libya and Yemen.

Additionally, there will also be a mandated meeting on Resolution 2334 regarding Israeli settlements on Palestinian territories.
However, a key feature of Guyana’s presidency will be a special session on June 19, during which President of Guyana, Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali, will chair a High-Level Open Debate on “Poverty, Underdevelopment and Conflict: Implications for the Maintenance of International Peace and Security.”
The debate will also feature briefers from the United Nations (UN) system and the African Union (AU) and participation from a number of UN Member States. The debate will build upon previous discussions in the Council on the relationship between sustainable development and international peace and security, zeroing in on poverty and underdevelopment as both drivers and consequences of conflict.
It comes at a time when armed conflicts are increasing and the Sustainable Development Goals are not on track to be achieved by 2030.

Guyana is set to host the annual Children and Armed Conflict Open Debate on 25 June. The session will include briefings from the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Virginia Gamba, as well as the Executive Director of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Catherine Russell. The debate will also feature statements from Member States in response to the Secretary-General’s annual report on Children and Armed Conflict.
During its presidency tenure, Guyana will also focus the Council’s attention on some of its priority areas, including conflict prevention and the security-development nexus, the impacts of climate change on peace and security, the protection of children in armed conflict and the women, peace and security agenda. Council members are expected to adopt the Programme of Work today, Monday, June 2, following which Guyana’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, will brief the media on the Programme and plans for the Presidency.
Prior to taking up the seat as President of the UNSC for June 2025, Ambassador Rodrigues-Birkett met with the UN Secretary General, António Guterres, on Friday to discuss Guyana’s one-month tenure. Earlier last week, she also paid a courtesy call on H.E. Philemon Yang, President of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly.
The Guyanese diplomat was joined by Deputy Permanent Representative, Ambassador Trishala Persaud, Political Coordinator Neishanta Benn, Alternate Political Coordinator Marissa Edwards and First Secretary Royston Alkins, for Friday’s engagement with the UN SG.
Guyana was elected to the 15-member Security Council for a term of two years from January 2024 to December 2025. Prior to its current term, Guyana served on the Council in 1975-1976 and 1982-1983.
This is the second time Guyana is assuming the Presidency of the UN’s highest body since being elected as a non-permanent member.
In February 2024, Guyana took over as President of the Security Council. During that one-month tenure, President Ali chaired an open debate on the relationship between climate change, food insecurity and conflict.
During a presentation of his agenda before the Council on February 13, 2024, the Guyanese Head of State said that the UNSC must take into account the consequential effects on food security and climate change in addressing the issues of conflicts and war.
While chairing that special council meeting, which was held under the theme: “Maintenance of International Peace and Security: Climate, Food Security and Conflict,” President Ali had emphasised that these issues are intricately linked to the rule of law, democracy and governance.
“We, therefore are of the very strong view that the Security Council should outline a series of steps that include a full analysis of the impact, and just as we adopt measures to safeguard humanitarian interests, we must adopt measures in our procedures to deal with the effects on food and climate.”
The Guyanese Leader had underscored too that the Council must be bold enough to take the necessary actions and make the needed changes.
President Ali also spoke extensively on the effects of war and conflict, on land degradation, deforestation, food insecurity; climate change, pollution, generational disruption and its impact on social costs, among other areas.