The government is expecting the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to deliver a ruling in the case concerning the validity of the 1899 Arbitral Award that established the border between Guyana and Venezuela by the end of 2026. This is according to President Irfaan Ali.
According to the Head – of – State, following the conclusion of the final oral hearings held from May 4 to May 11, Guyana is optimistic that the court will bring a definitive resolution to the decades-long territorial dispute.
The case centres on Venezuela’s claim to the Essequibo region, a resource-rich area that accounts for approximately two-thirds of Guyana’s territory. Over the years, the ICJ has received extensive written and oral submissions from both countries.
Although Venezuela has consistently challenged the court’s jurisdiction, the ICJ has already ruled that it has the authority to hear and determine the matter. Guyana is seeking a declaration that the 1899 Arbitral Award, which fixed the boundary between the two nations, remains valid and legally binding.
Caracas has long rejected the award, maintaining its claim to the Essequibo. Tensions surrounding the controversy intensified after Guyana emerged as a major oil-producing nation following ExxonMobil’s 2015 Liza oil discovery offshore.
Guyana brought the matter before the ICJ in 2018 after UN Secretary-General António Guterres determined that judicial settlement by the court was the appropriate mechanism to resolve the dispute, following decades of unsuccessful diplomatic efforts under the 1966 Geneva Agreement.
A ruling in Guyana’s favour would affirm the validity of the 1899 boundary settlement and could bring long-awaited legal clarity to one of South America’s oldest territorial disputes.
