THE International Court of Justice (ICJ) is set to deliver its ruling this Friday, December 1, 2023, on Guyana’s request for provisional measures to prevent Venezuela from proceeding with its planned referendum in its current form, which contains questions that threaten Guyana’s territorial integrity.

The court, situated at the Peace Palace in The Hague, the Netherlands, issued notices on Tuesday morning indicating that Justice Joan E. Donoghue, President of the ICJ, will announce the orders during a public hearing.

The genesis of the border controversy goes back to the 1899 Arbitral Award, a landmark decision that delineated the land boundary between the then British Guiana (now Guyana) and Venezuela.

Despite the historic arbitration, tensions have persisted, with Venezuela repeatedly challenging the validity of the award.
In 2018, Guyana took a decisive step by approaching ICJ seeking affirmation of the award’s legitimacy.
Venezuela, taking a defiant stance, initially claimed that the ICJ lacked jurisdiction, a contention flatly rejected by the World Court in a crucial ruling in December 2020. The door was thus opened for the ICJ to delve into the merits of the substantive case.

Recent developments have heightened the geopolitical situation, as Venezuela, through its National Electoral Council, unveiled plans for a “Consultative Referendum” on December 3.
Guyana is contending that this move is a thinly veiled attempt by Venezuela to gather support for abandoning the ongoing ICJ proceedings, and unilaterally assert control over the Essequibo region.

Venezuela’s Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, has expressed her nation’s complete disregard for the ICJ’s authority in addressing the border controversy. The substantive case which highlights the historical context and the 1899 Arbitral Award, remains before the World Court.