BROOCH GATE: CARICOM Secretariat cautions member states against attempts to legitimise claims

Last Updated on Tuesday, 28 April 2026, 19:35 by Denis Chabrol

The headquarters of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) on Tuesday warned member nations against allowing themselves to be used to push claims that are before the World Court, after President Irfaan Ali strongly objected to two member states allowing Venezuela’s President Delcy Rodriguez to wear a brooch that includes the Essequibo Region.

“In this regard, CARICOM underscores that Community platforms and engagements should not be used, whether directly or indirectly, to advance or appear to legitimise claims that are the subject of ongoing judicial proceedings before the International Court of Justice,” the CARICOM Secretariat said.

According to the CARICOM headquarters, at the centre of those commitments stands the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas, the binding legal instrument that defines the Community, its objectives, and the conduct expected of its Member States. The Treaty commits Members to the preservation of the Community’s integrity and cohesion in their external relations. “In the exercise of their sovereign rights, Member States remain mindful of their collective responsibilities to the Treaty and to uphold the principles of international law, respect for judicial processes and good neighbourly relations,” the regional headquarters also said.

The ICJ will next month hear the merits of the case brought by Guyana on the validity of the 1899 Arbitral Tribunal Award that settled the land boundary with Venezuela. That court is also hearing a boundary dispute between Guatemala and Belize, another CARICOM member state.

After Guyana registered its objection to the Venezuelan leader having been seen in separate engagements with the Prime Minister of Grenada, Dickon Mitchell and Barbados’ Prime Minister, Mia Mottley while wearing the offensive brooch, the Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil lashed out at the Guyanese leader. “It is really unusual that President Irfaan Ali now intends to establish himself as the arbiter and couturier of even the way other heads of state dress. Is he also going to ban maps, history books or any symbol that bothers him?” Gil questioned.

CARICOM’s warning came against the backdrop of the Venezuelan leader’s official visits to Grenada, and Barbados this month. The Guyana-based headquarters said it noted recent official engagements within the Community during which material asserting Venezuela’s claim to Guyana’s Essequibo region was on public display. CARICOM also noted the letter of 28 April 2026 from President Mohamed Irfaan Ali expressing Guyana’s grave concern.

The regional bloc reaffirmed that each member State retains the sovereign right to conduct bilateral relations with external partners. The secretariat says this principle is well established and respected within the Community and those engagements are conducted in a manner consistent with the shared obligations and collective commitments of CARICOM.

The Community’s longstanding and unequivocal support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Guyana, and for the peaceful resolution of the controversy through the Court remains firm and unchanged, the secretariat added.  CARICOM reiterates that it remains committed to unity, to the rule of law, and to the peaceful settlement of disputes in accordance with international law.