Demerara Waves Online News- Guyana Riding on the Crest of Truth
Last Updated on Saturday, 26 December 2015, 20:59 by GxMedia
Professor Norman Girvan
“For Guyana, we valued the wisdom which he brought to the Good Offices Process as the Personal Representative of the United Nations Secretary General,”said President Donald Ramotar in a statement.
Girvan,72, died in Cuba where he had been receiving treatment for paralysis due to fall while hiking in Dominica three months ago.
Foreign Minister, Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett also praised Girvan’s work as the United Nations Secretary General’s Good Officer in finding a peaceful resolution to the border issue between the two South American countries.
“In his capacity as the Personal Representative of the United Nations Secretary General in the Good Offices Process, he demonstrated a constructive and objective approach,” she said.
The Foreign Minister described Professor Girvan as someone who was highly respected throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. “The magnitude of Professor Girvan’s success in the varied roles which he undertook is measured by the extent of his humility and sincerity. The Caribbean has lost one of its finest minds,” she added.
The President of Guyana said Girvan’s passing was an immense loss for the Caribbean and one that we will continue to feel for quite some time. “His writing and sharp analyses spanning a myriad of issues, demonstrated always a sincerity in contributing to solutions to the challenges of the economic and social development of the wider Caribbean.
His vision for the region’s integration was driven by a profound desire for the peoples of the Caribbean Community to benefit from sustained socio-economic development in a single space,” he said.
Professor Girvan was a former Secretary General of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS). He was also Professor Emeritus of the University of the West Indies (UWI)