–President Ali says, affirms Guyana will remain committed to condemning injustice
IT is within the Guyanese DNA to love and share, so it is only natural that the nation jumps at any opportunity to support humanitarian causes, President Dr Irfaan Ali has said.

This was according to the President during his address at the Qiyaam Lailatul Qadr– A night of Prayer for Global Peace, Guyana and Palestine, on Saturday evening, when he reflected on Guyana’s love and compassion.
“In our DNA as Guyanese, we are built to love. We are built to share. We are built to sacrifice. Even when we had very little, Guyana sacrificed every single time the world was in need,” the President said.

Reflecting on the period when current Vice-President, Dr Bharrat Jagdeo was the Head of State, Dr Ali noted that Guyana had the distinction in the world as being the highest per capita donor for humanity and humanitarian efforts around the world.

“Today these values shape us as a people and as a country,” he said, while adding that this is cemented in the PPP/C government, which he has the honour to lead.
President Ali went on to say that the PPP/C government is developing policies and programmes that allow the citizens of this country to achieve prosperity, and his administration is doing this in such a manner that the nation’s resources are being managed responsibly.

Even as Guyana acknowledges its steps towards the improvement of all lives, the President drew attention to the suffering of persons the world over, including the people of Palestine and those in Haiti, who are facing severe adversities.
“Terrorism has no place in our modern world and has no place in any religious texts, none whatsoever.

We are very principled; Guyana and the People’s Progressive Party/Civic government have always been principled on matters, like for a matter of fact, every successive president in our government at the UN would always have a paragraph to speak about Palestine and injustice in other places in the world.

“We speak on behalf of Haiti. We speak on behalf of Palestine. We speak on behalf of Cuba, because we always speak from a position of principle. We speak against terrorism, because as I said, these are things that have no place in our societies,” Dr Ali firmly said.

The humanitarian disaster in Gaza remains grave as a result of the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. Severe food insecurity is a defining feature of the crisis, affecting the whole Gaza population at crisis level or above.
Gaza’s healthcare system has also collapsed, leading to hospital closures and a shortage of medical supplies.

As it relates to Guyana’s Caribbean Community (CARICOM) sister state, Haiti, President Ali, who is also the current chair of CARICOM, has taken a lead role in addressing the political and humanitarian crises in Haiti.
He has been instrumental in bringing together envoys and regional leaders for an emergency summit, in Kingston, to address the growing security problem in Haiti.

Dr Ali has been involved in discussions aimed at restoring normalcy and stability to Haiti in the face of persistent gang-related violence. He has also participated in diplomatic initiatives to assist Haiti’s democratic transition, such as talks about the country’s situation with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

The Guyanese Head of State has also stated that he is dedicated to seeing Haiti thrive, and has participated in diplomatic efforts to resolve the situation, such as endorsing the formation of a presidential transition council in Haiti.
“Tonight, we have reinforced once again who we are as Guyanese, we have to reinforce once again, what makes us separate and apart from all other nations,” President Ali told the scores of both Muslims and non-Muslims gathered at the National Ramadan Village, where over $72.5 million was raised to support the people of Palestine.