The Permanent Representative of Guyana to the United Nations in New York, H.E. Ambassador Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, today delivered a statement at the resumed 10th Emergency Special Session (ESS) of the United Nations General Assembly. The ESS is considering the agenda item “Illegal Israeli actions in the Occupied East Jerusalem and the rest of the occupied Palestinian Territory.

In her statement to the ESS today, Ambassador Rodrigues-Birkett expressed concern over the deeply distressing levels of violence unfolding in the Middle East since the 7th October attack by Hamas on Israel. She condemned the attack and noted that the Israeli response has been unprecedented in its scale and impact, creating a humanitarian catastrophe in the densely populated Gaza Strip. The Permanent Representative said that Guyana is particularly alarmed at the inordinate number of children killed and injured in the violence over the last twenty-four days. She emphasized the responsibility of the parties to the conflict to fully and unconditionally respect and uphold the principles of international law.

Ambassador Rodrigues-Birkett also underlined the moral obligation of the United Nations to reinvigorate the peace process, as the only way to guarantee the exercise of he inalienable right to self-determination by the Palestinian people and to address the security concerns of Israel.

On 27 October, the ESS adopted a resolution on the escalation of violence in the Gaza Strip and the resulting humanitarian catastrophe. The resolution calls, inter alia, for an immediate humanitarian truce and for respect for international law. Guyana voted in support of that resolution.

See the full text of Ambassador Rodrigues-Birkett’s's statement here.