It is precisely at moments such as this that international law, multilateralism and democracy show their worth. Law provides us with common rules. Multilateralism enables us to turn shared problems into concerted solutions, and democracy ensures that power comes from the people and is exercised for their wellbeing. I address this assembly on behalf of Guatemala, a country that knows from its own experience the value of these tools.

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Mr. President, for 45 years after independence, Belize continues to pursue the peaceful settlement of its territorial disputes with Guatemala and Honduras. Belize has chosen and will always choose law over force. Belize informs this assembly of a serious breach of international law committed on the night of 23rd September 2026, when a Guatemalan military aircraft entered Belize's sovereign airspace and intentionally disabled its transponder. This act violates the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation, customary norms governing state aircraft and the inviolability of territorial sovereignty protected under article 2(4) of the United Nations. This incursion is not an isolated one. It forms a part of a continuing pattern in which Guatemalan state vessels and personnel operate unlawfully in Belizean territorial waters of the Sarstoon River, which forms part of Belize's border with Guatemala in defiance of obligations binding on both parties to refrain from any action capable of aggravating or extending the dispute presently before the International Court of Justice. The case is scheduled for hearing in February 2027. Guatemala's conduct risk prejudicing the court's authority and undermines the principle of peaceful settlement of disputes enshrined in article 33 of the charter. Belize, therefore, calls upon Guatemala to immediately cease all incursions by air, land or sea to comply fully with its obligations under the UN charter, the Chicago Convention and the OAS Confidence Building Measures, and to respect the integrity of the ICJ process. Belize further requests heightened monitoring by the United Nations and the OAS to ensure that no Member State uses military force or intimidation to influence judicial proceedings.

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Together, we are formidable. The Caribbean Declaration as a zone of peace must retain its force as geopolitical competition moves closer to our shores. Our response must remain anchored in sovereignty, territorial integrity, international law, peaceful settlement of disputes, and diplomacy. CARICOM supports the International Court of Justice as the lawful path for resolving the Guyana-Venezuela dispute and the judicial process concerning Belize and Guatemala. We defend international law because, for small states especially, the alternative is a world where power becomes the rule. Across Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan, Yemen, Chad, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, civilians continue to bear an unconscionable burden. Saint Kitts and Nevis affirms one standard: international law applied consistently, not selectively, and conscience applied evenly, not conveniently. There can be no hierarchy of human suffering.

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