ICJ Decision Nears In Guyana Dispute

 As the long-running territorial dispute between Guyana and Venezuela moves closer to judicial resolution, Georgetown is expressing strong confidence that the International Court of Justice will ultimately affirm the legality of the 1899 Arbitral Award that established their shared boundary.

Speaking to lawmakers, Prime Minister Mark Phillips said Guyana believes the court is nearing a decisive conclusion after years of proceedings in The Hague. He noted that the oral phase of arguments ended on May 11, leaving judges to deliberate before issuing a final ruling.

“Guyana is more confident than ever that the Court will uphold the legal validity of the 1899 Arbitral Award and the finality and permanence of the international boundary between Guyana and Venezuela,” Phillips told Parliament.

Although no date has been announced, Phillips said past International Court of Justice practice suggests rulings are typically delivered within six to eight months of the conclusion of oral hearings. On that basis, he indicated a judgment could be expected between November 2026 and January 2027.

The case centres on Guyana’s request for confirmation that the 1899 arbitral decision remains legally binding and defines its border with Venezuela. The court has previously confirmed its jurisdiction in the matter in earlier procedural rulings, allowing the dispute to proceed to the merits stage.

Phillips stressed that any final judgment would carry binding legal force under the United Nations Charter and the Statute of the International Court of Justice, obliging both states to comply.

He also framed the proceedings as a broader affirmation of international legal order, arguing that the completion of hearings marked a victory for peaceful dispute resolution rather than confrontation.

“The very fact that this case reached the ICJ and that the written and oral phases of the proceedings were carried out to their completion represents a triumph for the rule of law and the rules-based international order,” he said.

Guyana has maintained that Venezuela’s challenge, first raised in the 1960s after decades of acceptance of the boundary, lacks legal foundation. During hearings, its legal team argued that the 1899 award was treated as final for more than 60 years before Caracas disputed it.

Phillips also pointed to the timing of Venezuela’s objections, noting they emerged as Guyana moved toward independence and British military presence in the territory was ending.

He said Guyana has consistently defended the validity of the boundary through multiple phases of the case and remains confident the court will bring closure to a dispute dating back more than six decades.

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