MINISTER of Home Affairs, Mr. Clement Rohee, who headed the Guyana delegation to the 10th Hemispheric Meeting of Defence Ministers in Punta Del Este, Uruguay, from October 8 to 12, said it was based on the determination to collaborate, to the maximum, on the range of challenges faced in the field of multi-dimensional security.

He said, in that regard, they are determined to support any hemisphere-wide consensus the objective of which is to strengthen security and defence in the Americas.
“We respect and appreciate the right of States, gathered here, to determine their security threats and the nature of their individual responses to such threats. In Guyana, we practice inter-agency coordination in a civilian-led integrated approach towards the management of natural disasters, with the participation of our Defence Force as a necessary and indispensable component,” he said, in a release issued yesterday.
Rohee said he told the forum that any discussion about security in this hemisphere would be deficient unless attention is paid to the special security threats faced by the small island and low-lying coastal States of the Caribbean and a threat which is recognised by the United Nations (UN) and the Organisation of American States (OAS).
The Minister said: “The economic and social dislocations faced by us all, but moreso by the smallest and most vulnerable among us, is itself testimony to the necessity for hemispheric cooperation.”
He said nowhere is the need for such cooperation more necessary than in the threats alluded to, concerning environmental protection.
“We not only recognise the threat of environmental degradation but are greatly concerned at the threats posed by climate change. Studies have shown that the Caribbean stands to lose 50 billion U.S. dollars due to climate change over the coming decade. We urge that all countries join forces to combat this scourge,” Rohee said.
He said a good example of such hemispheric cooperation has been the collective response towards peacekeeping and developmental efforts in the sister CARICOM country of Haiti.
“In this regard, we support the call, by our neighbour Brazil, for greater efforts toward the success of the collective peacekeeping operations in that country,” Rohee said.

HIGH IMPORTANCE
He pointed out that Guyana places high importance on its membership within Union of South American Nations (UNASUR), as it coincides with its foreign policy focus of strengthening relations with countries in the hemisphere.
The Minister noted that the maintenance of peace in any one of the States is vital to the security of all and it is important for Defence Ministers to recognise and reaffirm the fact that peace and security cannot exist in the absence of democracy.
“In this regard, my delegation expresses its congratulations to our neighbour to the West, Venezuela, for the peaceful and successful conclusion of its elections,” Rohee said.
He also said: “We were heartened by President Mujica’s exhortation to think globally. Guyana fully embraces this concept as is exemplified by our call for a new global human order, a proposal now before the United Nations.”
Accompanying Minister Rohee was Colonel Mark Philips of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) and they held bilateral discussions with representatives of Canada, U.S., Venezuela, Brazil and Uruguay.
Guyana worked along with the other CARICOM delegations present at the meeting and its participation contributed significantly to the strengthening of bilateral relations with other hemispheric countries on defence and multi- dimensional security matters of mutual interest to each country, the release said.