Essequibo: Guyana Urges Venezuela at 81st UN Assembly to Heed Coming ICJ Ruling

GUYANA · DIPLOMACY

On the UN stage, Guyana and Venezuela restated opposite paths for Essequibo while the world court prepares its judgment.

The ruined gateway of Kyk-Over-Al, a Dutch colonial fort on an island near the Essequibo River, in the region Venezuela claims. Photo: Dan Lundberg, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Guyana has used the UN General Assembly to press Venezuela over Essequibo, a vast region Caracas has long claimed. President Irfaan Ali urged Venezuela on Thursday 24 September to abide by the International Court of Justice’s coming ruling.

“We urge Venezuela to abide by the forthcoming ruling in accordance with their obligation under the UN Charter, as Guyana will do,” Ali said in New York.

What Ali Said About Essequibo

Ali said Guyana went to the court only after decades of trying to settle the dispute bilaterally. That included a mixed commission and the good offices of the UN secretary-general.

He called the 1899 Arbitral Award “the full, perfect, and final settlement” of the border. Guyana had “endured long and repeated provocations and aggression”, he added.

It was his first address to the Assembly since the court finished hearing the case in May 2026. He said both countries had taken part in those hearings.

“We look forward to a new era of neighbourly relations,” he said. He tied that hope to the development of both countries and the stability and prosperity of the region.

Ali said Guyana has “always advanced the peaceful settlement” of the border controversy. It took part in the case in full respect for international law, he added, and encouraged Venezuela to do the same.

Venezuela’s Answer, a Day Earlier

Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, spoke from the same podium on Wednesday 23 September. She reaffirmed what she called Venezuela’s historic rights over Guyana-Essequibo.

“Here, I appeal to the Cooperative Republic of Guyana to resolve the issue and to return to negotiations,” she said. In Venezuela’s view, that is what the Geneva Agreement requires.

Agreements reached bilaterally last longer and work better than those imposed by outside bodies, she argued. She wore a brooch showing a map of Venezuela that included Essequibo.

Rodríguez took over after US forces removed Nicolás Maduro on 3 January 2026. She was previously responsible for Venezuela’s case at the court, AFP noted.

She said Venezuela wants to rebuild ties with its South American neighbours and the United States. Those ties must rest on respect and equality, she added.

She did not criticise the United States or ExxonMobil, Demerara Waves noted. Instead she thanked President Donald Trump and his government for their readiness to resume diplomatic relations and cooperation.

She called a recent US–Venezuela agreement “one of the most all-encompassing and significant ever signed”. It will help ensure the hemisphere’s energy balance, she said.

Where the ICJ Case Stands

The border dates from the colonial era. An arbitration tribunal in Paris fixed it in 1899.

The Geneva Agreement was signed in February 1966 by the United Kingdom, Venezuela and British Guiana, three months before Guyana’s independence.

Venezuela says the 1899 award is null and void. In its view the Geneva Agreement requires a practical settlement negotiated with Guyana.

Guyana filed the case in 2018 after the UN secretary-general referred the dispute to the court under the Geneva Agreement. It asks the judges to confirm that the 1899 award and its boundary are valid and binding.

The court ruled in 2020 that it had jurisdiction and rejected a further Venezuelan objection in 2023. It has also twice granted Guyana’s requests for provisional measures.

The latest, in 2025, ordered Venezuela not to hold, or prepare to hold, elections in the disputed territory.

Venezuela boycotted the court’s 2018–2020 jurisdiction phase but has taken part since then, while still rejecting the court’s authority.

No judgment date has been announced, and the court gives two weeks’ notice. Guyana’s government has estimated a ruling between November 2026 and January 2027.

Why Essequibo Matters

Guyana is a small English-speaking country just east of Venezuela. Essequibo makes up more than two-thirds of its territory of about 83,000 square miles.

Oil was discovered offshore in 2015. Venezuela’s maritime claim reaches into ExxonMobil’s Stabroek Block, Guyana’s main oil area.

That is why the dispute weighs on investors as well as diplomats.

The land boundary is what the court will rule on. The maritime boundary would need separate talks, because Venezuela has not signed the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

The United States has said it is willing to help settle that maritime line after the ruling, Demerara Waves reported. ExxonMobil hopes to resume exploration in parts of the Stabroek Block nearer Venezuela afterwards.

Maduro’s repeated calls to annex the territory once raised fears of armed conflict. Ali and Maduro met in Argyle, St Vincent, in December 2023 and pledged not to threaten or use force.

Why It Matters If You Invest in Guyana

For oil companies, contractors and investors, a clear ruling could reduce a major political risk over Guyana’s offshore boom. That depends on Caracas accepting it, and the ruling would not settle the sea border.

Guyana is also a founding member of Trump’s Shield of the Americas, a US-led security coalition against drug cartels. Venezuela, under Rodríguez, is rebuilding relations with the US at the same time.

What Comes Next

The next milestone is the court’s announcement of a date to deliver its judgment. Both governments have now set out their positions before the full UN membership.

Watch too for any US move on the maritime boundary. Another question is how Rodríguez’s government would respond to an adverse ruling.

Sources: Department of Public Information, Guyana, Ali at the UN, 24 September 2026; Demerara Waves, Rodríguez at the UN, 23 September 2026; Department of Public Information, Guyana, on the judgment timeline, 5 June 2026; International Court of Justice, Guyana v. Venezuela case page; AFP via RTL Today, Guyana urges Venezuela, 24 September 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Essequibo dispute?

Venezuela claims the Essequibo region, which makes up more than two-thirds of Guyana. Guyana says the 1899 Arbitral Award settled the border for good and has asked the ICJ to confirm it.

What did Guyana say at the UN?

President Irfaan Ali urged Venezuela to abide by the ICJ’s forthcoming ruling, as Guyana will do. He said Guyana went to court only after decades of failed bilateral efforts.

When will the ICJ rule on Essequibo?

The court finished hearings in May 2026 but has not set a date. Guyana’s government has estimated November 2026 to January 2027.

What does Venezuela want?

Venezuela wants direct negotiations under the 1966 Geneva Agreement and rejects the court’s jurisdiction. It has nevertheless taken part in the proceedings since the jurisdiction phase.

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