Foreign Affairs
Guyana seeks to pursue and maintain friendly relations with all the nations of the world, and to establish mutually beneficial arrangements with willing countries through the United Nations as well as other international organizations and instruments. Guyana is party to a number of UN Conventions .
In the Western Hemisphere in particular, Guyana contributes to international peace, security, stability, democracy, good order and development on the basis of respect for national sovereignty, territorial integrity and non-interference in the internal affairs of states. These objectives are pursued by Guyana through its active participation in organizations such as the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) , the Organization of American States , the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) , the Association of Caribbean States (ACS) , MERCOSUR , and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) .
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The following international organizations maintain offices in Georgetown:
- The Caribbean Community (CARICOM)
- The Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI)
- Commonwealth Youth Programme
- Organization of American States (OAS)
- Inter-American Development Bank (IADB)
- Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA)
- International Centre for Rainforest Conservation and Development (IWOKRAMA)
- International Monetary Fund (IMF)
- World Bank
- Pan-American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO)
- UNESCO National Commission
- United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)
- United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
- United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
- Centre for Disease Control
- Peace Corps Guyana
Under the prevailing domestic and international conditions, Guyana’s emphasis in its foreign policy initiatives is to safeguard the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity in view of longstanding claims to its national territory, to leverage resources to handle its socio-economic challenges and to exert a positive influence in the international arena.
Guyana has played a leading role in the integration of the Caribbean and is the host country of the Secretariat of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). CARICOM was founded on July 4, 1973 with the signing of the Treaty of Chaguaramas by the leaders of Guyana, Barbados, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago. Under the Treaty of Chaguaramas, Guyana is obligated to coordinate its foreign policy with the other fourteen (14) Member States of CARICOM.
The following are the links to the Original and Revised Treaties of Chaguaramas:
Original Treaty of Chaguaramas
Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas
Responsibility for the execution of Guyana’s foreign policy resides with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and with Guyana’s Diplomatic and Consular Representatives.
Guyana’s status as a Small Island Developing State with a relatively small size and population, belies the role it has traditionally played in international affairs, particularly among Third World countries. In recent times, Guyana has emerged as a leading advocate on forest conservation and Climate Change .