Essequibo is “heart of Guyana”, not frontier land – Ambassador Streete tells ICJ

Ambassador and Director of the Frontiers Division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Donnette Streete, on Monday told the International Court of Justice that Venezuela’s claim targets “the heart” of Guyana as public hearings continued in the case Guyana v. Venezuela.

Presenting Guyana’s case on the character of the disputed territory, Streete said the Essequibo is not a remote or marginal area but represents nearly three-quarters of Guyana’s landmass, approximately 159,500 square kilometres, and includes six of the country’s ten administrative regions.

“For a small developing nation, the loss of nearly three-quarters of its territory would not be a border adjustment. It would be the dismemberment, indeed, the effective destruction of the country,” she told the court.

Streete emphasised that the significance of the Essequibo extends beyond its size, describing it as central to Guyana’s geography, economy, and national identity. She highlighted the region’s vast river systems, led by the Essequibo River, the country’s largest, which, along with tributaries such as the Potaro, Mazaruni and Cuyuni, serves as vital channels for transport, trade and ecological sustainability.

“These rivers are the arteries of our national life,” she said, noting their role in sustaining communities and biodiversity.

The diplomat also pointed to the region’s environmental importance, including the globally significant Iwokrama rainforest and the Pakaraima mountain range, home to Mount Roraima. She described the Essequibo as a critical ecological zone, rich in biodiversity and essential for conservation, scientific research and climate resilience.

Beyond its environmental value, Streete underscored the region’s economic importance, citing long-standing gold mining operations, as well as deposits of bauxite and manganese. She added that agriculture and emerging oil and gas potential further position the Essequibo as a key driver of Guyana’s economic development.

Turning to the human dimension, Streete told the court that more than 313,000 people, over one-third of Guyana’s population, live in the region, including nine Indigenous groups and a diverse population shaped by centuries of settlement.

“The Essequibo is not merely territory; it includes the people who inhabit it, who administer it, and who belong to it,” she said.

“In exercising their democratic right to vote, the people of the Essequibo affirm their commitment to and identification with the sovereign state of Guyana,” Streete noted, referencing the election of representatives from the region in the country’s most recent polls.

Streete also addressed historical claims, asserting that while European powers such as the Dutch and later the British administered and settled the territory, there was no Spanish or Venezuelan administration in the Essequibo.

The hearings at the ICJ are expected to culminate in the determination of the validity of the 1899 Arbitral Award. [DPI]