With the clock ticking, Venezuela has just one month remaining to present its counter-memorial to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the ongoing border controversy with Guyana. The deadline set by the Court is April 8, 2024. This border row, re-energized in recent months, has drawn international attention.
Guyana, at the Court’s request, submitted its memorial in March 2022.
The heart of this legal battle is the Arbitral Award of 1899, a document that settled the boundary between the two South American nations more than a hundred years ago. In 1962, some 63 years after accepting the boundary, Venezuela claimed the Award was null and void. After years of discussions between the two countries under the United Nations Good Offices Process failed to deliver a resolution, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres referred the matter to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in 2018.
Despite Venezuela’s preference for bilateral negotiations and its non-recognition of the Court’s jurisdiction—a stance rebuffed by a 2020 ICJ ruling confirming its jurisdiction—the process has moved forward.
Guyana’s aim is to have the ICJ reaffirm the 1899 Award and the subsequent 1905 Agreement as outlining the lawful boundary between the countries.
Guyana-Venezuela land boundary was settled 124 years ago
The United States, United Kingdom several other countries across the world and regional body Caribbean Community (CARICOM), have voiced support for Guyana’s legal pursuit, emphasizing the importance of adherence to judicial processes in the resolution of international disputes.
In recent years, Venezuela has escalated its claim to the vast Essequibo region following lucrative oil finds by ExxonMobil in the Stabroek Block offshore Guyana.
