Ambassador Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, Guyana's candidate for United Nations Secretary-General, told University of Guyana students on Saturday to defend multilateral cooperation, uphold international law and bring fresh ideas for reforming the global body.
She delivered the address virtually at the opening of a Model United Nations Simulation that gathered students, UN representatives, diplomatic corps members and senior university officials, according to INews Guyana. Guyana's Permanent Mission to the UN published her remarks on Sunday.
Five Priorities for the UN's Future
Rodrigues-Birkett outlined five areas she said should guide any debate on the organisation's future. She argued the UN remains indispensable at a moment when global crises demand collective responses, and that international law, starting with the UN Charter, forms the only reliable foundation for peace, security, development and human rights.
She also pressed for institutional reform, saying the UN's agencies, funds and programmes must deliver better results for the communities they serve. On artificial intelligence, she warned that global governance talks must balance innovation against legitimate concerns about jobs, human creativity, safety and unequal access to the technology.
She challenged the students to engage critically with world affairs and contribute ideas on how the organisation could better serve the people who depend on it.
A Race With History at Stake
The address comes as Rodrigues-Birkett competes for the top UN job, which opens when António Guterres completes his second term on December 31, 2026. She is one of eight candidates.
In a recent Security Council straw poll, she received eight votes of encouragement, six of discouragement and one no-opinion vote, international reports show. Winning requires at least nine votes from the 15-member Council and no veto from any of the five permanent members: China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States.
In 80 years, the UN has had nine Secretaries-General and never a woman. If successful, Rodrigues-Birkett would be the first woman and the first Caribbean national to hold the post since the organisation was founded in 1945.
Small States and the Rules That Protect Them
For a country of Guyana's size, the stakes in this race go beyond national pride. Small economies survive on predictable rules: open trade, respected borders, binding arbitration. Guyana knows this better than most, facing as it does a persistent territorial claim from Venezuela that only international law can settle. A Secretary-General who treats the UN Charter as a living document rather than a diplomatic decoration is not an abstraction here; it is a security policy.
Rodrigues-Birkett has built her candidacy on precisely that argument. During a recent discussion at the Stimson Centre, she defended Guyana's position on Palestine during its 2024-2025 Security Council tenure, saying the country would speak out whenever atrocities were committed or international law violated. She argued the next Secretary-General should be guided by the Charter and international law above all.
President Dr Irfaan Ali appealed directly to the Security Council's permanent members during his address to the 81st UN General Assembly in September, citing her nomination and endorsement by the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).
A Career Built on Multilateral Diplomacy
Rodrigues-Birkett has served as Guyana's Permanent Representative to the UN since 2020, leading the country through its Security Council tenure and shaping its positions on international peace and security. Before that, she directed the Food and Agriculture Organisation's Liaison Office in Geneva from 2017 to 2020.
Her domestic record runs deep as well. She served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2008 to 2015 and as Minister of Amerindian Affairs from 2001 to 2008.
Why the Students Matter
Her decision to spend her platform on a student audience is itself a statement. The Model UN Simulation gave participants practical exposure to multilateral diplomacy, the kind of training that produces the negotiators, trade specialists and diplomats a small state needs.
She thanked UN Resident Coordinator Jean Kamau and the University of Guyana for the invitation.
FAQ
Who is Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett?
She is Guyana's Permanent Representative to the UN since 2020 and the country's candidate for UN Secretary-General. She previously served as Foreign Minister from 2008 to 2015.
When does the Secretary-General position become vacant?
On December 31, 2026, when António Guterres completes his second term.
What does the selection process require?
A candidate needs at least nine votes from the 15-member Security Council and must avoid a veto from China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom or the United States.