Statement delivered by Ambassador Trishala Persaud, Deputy Permanent Representative of Guyana to the United Nations, at the 75th Plenary Meeting of the General Assembly Agenda item 63 – Use of the Veto (Admission of Palestine)

Mr. President,

Guyana aligns itself with the statements delivered by the distinguished representatives of Uganda on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement. I offer further reflections in my national capacity.

Guyana was deeply disappointed when the veto was exercised on 18 April in response to the legitimate request of the Palestinian Government and people for a positive recommendation from the Security Council for full membership of the United Nations. After more than seven decades of the deferral of the Palestinian aspiration to statehood, their quest to take a significant step in that direction was halted. 

For its part, Mr. President, Guyana was prepared to welcome the State of Palestine as a Member State of the United Nations. We therefore voted in favour of the resolution tabled by the delegation of Algeria. I take this opportunity to commend Algeria for its leadership in putting forward the resolution. 

Guyana’s decision to support Palestinian membership of the United Nations was premised solely on our assessment of the application in the context of Article 4 of the Charter.  Guyana’s conclusion was that Palestine is a peace-loving State and it had declared its acceptance of the obligations contained in the Charter. Further, our assessment concluded that Palestine is able and willing to carry out its Charter obligations. Beyond this, Mr. President, more than a decade ago Guyana had taken the decisive step of establishing diplomatic relations with the State of Palestine and our two countries have accredited Ambassadors to the other.  

Mr. President,

As we consider the extremely challenging circumstances that the Palestinian people have been enduring since the Nakba of 1948, I am compelled to recall a portion of the preamble of the Charter where we the peoples of the United Nations determined to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small. We further determined to establish conditions under which justice and respect for the obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international law can be maintained. When we think of the plight of the Palestinians in light of these commitments that all of us as Member States have made, it is not difficult to see how far we have fallen short. In fact, these commitments have been unequally applied across our globe, and the Palestinian situation is an example of this unequal application. It has been 77 years since this Assembly decided to establish an Arab and a Jewish state but this obligation has still not been fully met.

Despite the ignominies that the State of Palestine has consistently faced from 1948 until today, it has shown itself a responsible and constructive member of the international community and fully committed to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.

Guyana’s appeal is that we revisit the matter of Palestine’s membership of the United Nations. Denial of membership is fundamentally opposed to the commitments we have made as UN Member States and perpetuates the culture of injustice against the Palestinians. Frankly speaking, Mr. President, we are poorer for this decision.

I thank you.