NEW YORK, USA — President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali on Tuesday joined U.S. President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and leaders from across the Western Hemisphere for a high-level meeting of the Shield of the Americas on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly.
The meeting, convened by Trump in New York, focused on enhanced collective action against drug cartels and narco-terrorism, while advancing greater economic, security and multilateral coordination among participating countries. Reuters reported Tuesday that Trump used both his U.N. address and the subsequent Shield of the Americas engagement to press regional partners for stronger action against transnational criminal organisations and drug trafficking networks.
In a post on his social media handle on X (formerly Twitter), President Ali said the leaders adopted a Joint Communiqué declaring their intention to strengthen the resilience of the Western Hemisphere around three pillars — economic, security and multilateral coordination.
The meeting represented the latest engagement under the Shield of the Americas, a U.S.-led regional initiative launched earlier this year to deepen cooperation against transnational organised crime, drug trafficking and other security threats.
The initiative was formally advanced at the inaugural Shield of the Americas Summit in Doral, Florida, on March 7, when Trump hosted President Ali and leaders from Latin America and the Caribbean. Official U.S. government records confirm the March summit and identify the initiative with the Americas Counter Cartel Coalition.
At that summit, participating leaders committed to closer cooperation against cartels and transnational criminal organisations. Guyana was among the founding participants, alongside Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay and Trinidad and Tobago.
President Ali subsequently said Guyana’s participation was expected to strengthen intelligence sharing, joint security operations and coordinated action against smuggling, drug trafficking and other forms of transnational crime. He said the partnership was intended to help build a common regional security platform and increase joint exercises and information sharing.
The coalition has since expanded its engagement. U.S. State Department statements issued in May and July showed member countries coordinating on regional political and security matters, while maintaining a stated commitment to democracy, security and cooperation across the hemisphere.
Tuesday’s meeting included representatives of the United States, Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guyana, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, Peru and Trinidad and Tobago.
The New York engagement comes as President Ali participates in the 81st United Nations General Assembly, where world leaders are meeting this week to address international security, economic development and other global issues.