In 2018, Secretary-General of the United Nations António Guterres concluded that the Good Offices Process had not determined a peaceful conclusion. Guterres chose to have the controversy settled by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on whether the 1899 award was valid. On 29 March, Guyana introduced a request in the ICJ to solve the territorial dispute. Venezuela proposed Guyana to restore the diplomatic contacts to attempt to find a solution regarding the territorial dispute, arguing that Guterres "exceeded the competences given to him as the Good Offices Figure" and that the decision "contravenes the spirit, purpose and reason of the Geneva Agreement". The Venezuelan government also stated that it did not recognize the jurisdiction of the Court as mandatory.