– engaged in G77 and China Chairmanship Transition

THE Permanent Mission of Guyana to the United Nations (UN) has debunked media claims that Guyana’s Permanent Representative and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the UN, Rudolph Michael Ten-Pow, has resigned.

In November 2019, Guyana was elected to serve as the 2020 Chair for the Group of 77 (G77) and China, formed in 1964 to provide a forum for developing nations to promote their economic interests.

A release from the mission facilitated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that Ten-Pow is actively engaged in the preparations for the transition.

The false rumor surfaced around the period that questions were raised about Guyana’s abstinence from voting on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) which is related to the Guyana-Venezuela border controversy.

“Arrangements for the transition to the new Chair have been progressing smoothly both at the Permanent Mission of Guyana to the United Nations in New York, which is headed by Ambassador Rudolph Michael Ten-Pow, and at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where a secretariat has been established to provide support and oversight for the chairmanship. Contrary to recent allegations in the local media, Ambassador Ten-Pow has not resigned his post as Permanent Representative to the United Nations and is fully engaged in preparations for the transition,” the document said.

Guyana will succeed the State of Palestine as Chair of the Group on January 1, 2020 for a one-year term. It first served as Chair of the G77 and China in 1999.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has stated that the decision by the G77 and China to elect Guyana to serve as its chair in 2020 is a demonstration of strong support for and confidence in Guyana.

“It reflects our full engagement in the work of the United Nations and is testimony to the standing that Guyana currently enjoys among its peers in the organisation and in the broader international community,” the release indicated.

With 134 Member States, the Group of 77 and China is the largest coalition of developing countries in the international system.

It serves as a platform for the countries of the South to articulate and promote their collective economic interests and enhance their joint negotiating capacity on all major international economic issues within the United Nations system, as well as to promote South-South cooperation for development.

According to Guyana’s UN Permanent Mission, in 2020 the G-77 and China will represent the interests of its members in negotiations on a range of issues on the global development agenda, including climate change, financing for development, and implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The release stated: “The 2030 agenda includes the Sustainable Development Goals, with which our national development plan, the Green State Development Strategy, has been fully aligned. Guyana’s Chairmanship of the G-77 and China in 2020 will also coincide with observances to mark the 75th Anniversary of the founding of the United Nations, the convening of the Third South Summit in Kampala, Uganda, and the commemoration of the Golden Jubilee of the Co-operative Republic.”