The Situation in Guyana

General Assembly: Special Political Committee

Topic: The Situation in Guyana

The current dispute over the Essequibo border region between Venezuela and Guyana can be traced back to an 1814 treaty between Great Britain and the Kingdom of the Netherlands in which Dutch claims in Guyana were ceded to the colony of British Guiana. The treaty left the border between British Guiana, and its western neighbor, Venezuela undefined and ambiguous, leading to a later mission by a British explorer to chart the region and define a border. The border, defined in 1835, which claimed roughly 30,000 square miles of land for British Guiana, was quickly disputed by Venezuela in 1841. The matter was left unresolved until 1899, when American arbitrators appointed to settle the dispute ruled that the region was to belong to British Guiana; a treaty that Venezuela begrudgingly agreed to. The treaty stood until Guyana gained its independence in 1966, again bringing into question the border between it and Venezuela. An agreement made between Venezuela, the United Kingdom, and Guyana that year led to further discussion of the matter and left the border as it was. Recently, in 2015 oil was discovered in the Essequibo region, reigniting the border dispute. Citing the 1966 agreement to further discuss the topic of the border, Venezuela claimed the original 1899 border was nullified; and through an internationally disputed referendum in 2023, annexed the region.

As of yet, no armed conflict has arisen from the Venezuelan annexation, and an agreement to prevent one between Venezuela and Guyana has been made. However, no real solution has been proposed, and tensions remain high. Venezuelan military units regularly perform maneuvers near the border, and Guyana has rapidly accelerated its military’s recruitment and development efforts. A recent meeting planned between the two country’s representatives went unscheduled and unattended by both parties, dampening hopes for a peaceful resolution. A war between the two countries could easily escalate, and would throw off stability in a region already suffering from economic struggles and violence that has produced millions of refugees. Exacerbating the issue is the fact that both the Guyanese and Venezuelan economies rely heavily on the oil industry. With Venezuelan oil production dropping, and Guyanese economic development on the uptick from oil revenues, backing away from the oil rich Essequibo region is to the benefit of neither party.

The main issue faced by the committee is to come to a peaceful and fair agreement over the boundary dispute. In doing so, it is important to take steps to prevent further escalation in the region and eliminate the possibility of war. To do so, it will be critical to consider both sides of the argument. Attempting to force a solution to the sole benefit of one party and not the other is unlikely to make any real progress in addressing the issue. In doing so, consider the following questions: What are the root causes of the dispute, and how can these causes be addressed? What underlying conditions in the countries involved can be addressed to prevent further conflict in the region? How can the dispute be settled in a way that placates both sides? By answering these questions, the committee can create a lasting solution that benefits not only Venezuela, or Guyana, but the region as a whole.

Useful links:

U.N. Press Release SG/SM/18879-ICJ/630:
https://press.un.org/en/2018/sgsm18879.doc.htm

1966 Geneva Agreement:
https://treaties.un.org/doc/Publication/UNTS/Volume%20561/volume-561-I-8192-English.pdf

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