Guyana urges UN members to back Rodrigues-Birkett as secretary-general race intensifies

Guyana has made a strong appeal for international support for its candidate, Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, to become the next secretary-general of the United Nations, as reports of possible US opposition add another layer of uncertainty to an increasingly competitive race.

Guyana’s President Irfaan Ali made the appeal on Thursday, September 24, during his address to the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. He argued that the UN needs new leadership capable of rebuilding confidence in the organization and strengthening multilateral cooperation.

“It is in this spirit that Guyana has put forward the candidature of Her Excellency Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett for the office of Secretary-General of the United Nations,” Ali said.

The election will determine the successor to current Secretary-General António Guterres, whose second term ends on December 31, 2026. The Security Council is expected to continue its informal consultations and straw polls following the General Assembly’s high-level week, with the selection process potentially concluding in October.

US opposition reported

The campaign comes as international media reports have raised questions about whether the United States would support Rodrigues-Birkett's candidacy.

The New York Times has reported that the Trump administration opposes Rodrigues-Birkett's candidacy in part because of her position on the war in Gaza, including her characterization of Israel's actions as genocide.

The reported US position could be significant because the United States is one of the five permanent members of the Security Council and therefore has veto power over the council's recommendation.

However, Ali has disputed reports that Washington has formally communicated an intention to veto his nominee. Speaking to reporters in New York this week, he said his engagements with UN member states had produced a positive response to Rodrigues-Birkett's candidacy.

“I’m very pleased to say that during this week at the United Nations, I’ve engaged many stakeholders in relation to the candidacy of Carolyn Rodrigues, and I can say without a shadow of a doubt that the response has been overwhelming and very positive,” Ali said, according to Guyanese media.

The United States has not publicly endorsed a candidate. A US State Department official said last week that Washington was seeking a candidate who would be “practical, driven and reform-focused” and would support changes to the UN, including greater efficiency and streamlined management.

Ali makes case for Guyanese diplomat

In his General Assembly address, Ali presented Rodrigues-Birkett's background as central to Guyana's argument for her candidacy.

He said she has represented Guyana and the developing world while working within the multilateral system and gaining an understanding of both its strengths and shortcomings.

“We need leadership capable of restoring trust without compromising principles, of listening without surrendering conviction, of building bridges across the widening chasms between North and South, between large states and small, between the developed and developing world,” Ali said.

He also highlighted Rodrigues-Birkett's Indigenous background and upbringing in a small Indigenous community in Guyana.

“An Indigenous woman coming from a small Indigenous village, defying the odds — the odds against Indigenous persons, the odds against women, the odds against poverty,” Ali said.

He described her career as one shaped by “struggle, sacrifice, and commitment” and appealed directly to the five permanent members of the Security Council and the wider UN membership to assess her candidacy on its merits.

“Look beyond the small country that nominated her,” Ali said.

The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) has endorsed Rodrigues-Birkett's candidacy. Guyana formally nominated her in June, describing her as a candidate capable of contributing to the UN's multilateral system.

Rodrigues-Birkett remains among leading candidates

Rodrigues-Birkett has remained one of the leading candidates in the Security Council's informal straw polls.

In the third poll, held on September 18, Costa Rica's Rebeca Grynspan received nine “encourage” votes, five “discourage” votes and one “no opinion.” Rodrigues-Birkett received eight “encourage” votes, six “discourage” votes and one “no opinion.”

The results marked a change from the second poll in August, when Rodrigues-Birkett received the highest number of “encourage” votes, with eight, compared with seven each for Grynspan and Argentina's Rafael Grossi.

The straw polls are confidential and non-binding. They are intended to gauge the level of support for candidates before the Security Council eventually conducts a formal vote.

Under the UN Charter, the Security Council must recommend a candidate to the 193-member General Assembly. A substantive Security Council decision requires at least nine votes and cannot be adopted if one of the five permanent members — China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom or the United States — votes against it.

If selected, Rodrigues-Birkett would become the first woman and the first Caribbean national to serve as UN secretary-general. No woman has held the position since the organization was established more than 80 years ago.

Ali said Guyana was asking UN members to consider what Rodrigues-Birkett could bring to the organization rather than focusing on the size of the country putting her forward.

“We respectfully place before its members the candidature of Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, endorsed by the Caribbean Community; we invite all to consider her candidacy on its merits, and to judge whether her vision, experience, expertise and record can help restore confidence in the United Nations at this critical moment,” he said.