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‘Peace, insecurity cannot be divorced from development’ – Min. Todd at UN Security Council
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Hugh Todd
Addressing the United Nations Security Council’s Open Debate on ‘Poverty, Underdevelopment and Conflict,’ Guyana’s Foreign Affairs Minister Hugh Todd said that sustainable development in developing countries is impossible without peace and security, urging global leaders to recognise their inseparable link.
Minister Todd emphasised that a stable and secure environment is critical for any kind of growth to occur in developing countries. “Peace and insecurity cannot be divorced from development. Poverty and underdevelopment are common features across many of the situations of which the Security Council is seized,” he said. The foreign minister argued that the issue of poverty could not be solved by relying solely on political resolutions but requires a broad-based approach that answers lingering socio-economic questions as well.
Minister Todd explained that prioritising political solutions alone in conflicts characterised by poverty and underdevelopment will not lead to comprehensive and sustainable peace. “We must therefore address inter alia, lack of economic opportunities, lack of access to education, unemployment and exclusion,” he said.
Recognising that this requires a multilateral solution, the minister called on international financial institutions to reverse their modus operandi and make financing more accessible to developing countries. He said this will allow for a broader-based approach to answering the world’s biggest problems – poverty, underdevelopment and conflict. “There is truth in the saying that being poor is expensive since developing countries expend more to access finance,” he stated. “The global financial architecture should be more responsive to the needs of developing countries as a whole, particularly countries transitioning out of conflict.”
The minister also called for increased support for youth and women, urging greater investments to expand economic opportunities that address specific needs. At the beginning of June, Guyana assumed the Presidency of the UN Security Council for one month.
This comes after the country was elected to the Security Council to serve for two years from January 2024 to December 2026. The last time Guyana served on this high-ranking council was in 1986. During the month of its presidency, Guyana is expected to organise the annual Children and Armed Conflict Open Debate on June 25. Minister Todd was supported by Foreign Secretary Robert Persaud and Guyana’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett. (DPI)
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