51st Regular Session of the OAS General Assembly

The Honourable Hugh Hilton Todd, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation
participated in the 51st Regular Session of the General Assembly of the Organisation of American
States (OAS), which was held from November 10 to 12, 2021, under the theme “Towards Renewal
in the Americas.”

During the plenary, Minister Todd delivered remarks during which he alluded to the effects of
COVID-19 in the Americas and stated that the Hemisphere experienced a disproportionate share
of global cases and deaths. Further, he added that the health impacts of the pandemic have
contributed to, and been compounded by, reversals on the economic and social fronts. Regarding
hemispheric priorities, Minister Todd highlighted the areas such as increased inequality, higher
levels of poverty, heavier debt burdens, setbacks in the education of children and greater food
insecurity as a sequel of impacts exacerbated by COVID-19.

The Honourable Minister posited that fostering a sustainable, equitable and resilient recovery is
critical for the future of the Americas. He further added that vaccine equity and solidarity are
imperative in this undertaking while emphasising that the hemisphere will not flourish or be
renewed if vaccination of the hemisphere’s population is not treated in a sustained manner.
Guyana’s Foreign Minister also addressed the urgent need to avert a climate crisis. He stated that
for small island and low-lying coastal states, failure to limit global warming within 1.5 degrees
Celsius would be intolerable. In this regard, he called on developed and industrialised partners to
demonstrate responsible leadership in the global effort to save and repair the planet. Minister Todd
added that the Government of Guyana envisages an enhanced role for the OAS in advancing
disaster resilience in the Hemisphere and supported the adoption of the related resolution tabled
by the delegation of Trinidad and Tobago.

Minister Todd recalled the sentiments by His Excellency, President Mohamed Irfaan Ali, during
the 26th session of the Conference of Parties (COP26), calling on world leaders to ensure that the
coming decade will be one of the decisive actions that will tackle the current climate crisis to
change the world’s present trajectory. To achieve such goals, the Foreign Minister informed the
General Assembly of the OAS that Guyana will be guided by the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) as the country’s vehicle for mitigating and adapting to climate change and
contributing to global climate action.

The Foreign Minister also stated that Guyana values multilateralism and the role of the OAS as
the premiere regional organization for constructive dialogue and cooperation. He further
reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to the pillars of the OAS- Democracy, Human Rights,
Integral Development and Multidimensional Security. In this vein, Minister Todd indicated that
Guyana recognises the need for the organization to be fit-for-purpose and for necessary
restructuring of the Organisation to better respond to challenges of the present and the future.
In light of the twentieth anniversary year of the adoption of the Inter-American Democratic
Charter, Minister Todd reaffirmed Guyana’s abiding commitment to democracy and the rule of
law, to safeguarding human rights and fundamental freedoms, to respecting the will of the people.
He placed on record once again, sincere appreciation to the OAS for the support provided to
Guyana during last year’s electoral stalemate resulting in the will of the Guyanese people being
respected and democracy and the rule of law triumphing.

Guyana’s Delegation was led by the Honourable Hugh Hilton Todd, Minister of Foreign Affairs
and International Cooperation and included, Ambassador Elisabeth Harper, Permanent Secretary,
Ambassador Samuel Hinds, Guyana’s Ambassador to the United States and Permanent
Representative to the OAS Ambassador George Talbot, Director of the Department of Americas
and Guyana’s Ambassador to CARICOM and other Foreign Service Officers from the Ministry.