Guyana, a Caribbean Community headquarter nation, has jumped into the race for the top job at the United Nations by nominating a former foreign minister and its top diplomat at the UN to succeed Secretary General António Guterres.
Guterres retires at the end of this year and the race to replace him is heating up, with several continental nations offering up a candidate.
In the case of Guyana, it is throwing up Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, its permanent representative to the UN. Previously, there had been a lot of talk that current Barbadian Prime Minister Mia Mottley would have been the favored candidate of the 15-nation CARICOM bloc, but the normally outspoken and articulate Mottley is as yet to publicly indicate an interest even though she is popular in UN circles as a candidate who, many officials say, can increase dynamism at the world body.
Announcing Birkett’s candidacy at the weekend, Guyanese President Irfaan Ali argued that she is properly qualified and has the credentials to become the first female to head the organization formed more than 80 years ago.
“As a country that has demonstrated that economic development and environmental stewardship can advance hand in hand, Guyana has become a respected voice in global discussions on balancing growth, sustainability and equity,” President Ali said in an address to the nation. “In my estimation, Ambassador Rodrigues-Birkett has acquired the experience, expertise, judgement and diplomatic skills necessary to perform ably and effectively carry out the duties of secretary general of the United Nations.”
The surprise announcement came as a number of hemispheric nations are stepping up their global lobbying effort to win support for national candidates.
Birkett, 52, will be squaring off with other declared candidates, such as former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, who had previously served also as a UN High Commissioner for Human Rights; Costa Rican diplomat Rebeca Grynspan, who has served as a UN trade chief at the Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD); former Ecuadorian official Maria Fernanda Espinosa; as well as Rafael Grossi, former chief at the International Atomic Energy Agency; and Macky Sall, a former president of Senegal; among others.
“The government of Guyana believes that the next secretary general must possess not only a thorough understanding of the challenges confronting the international community, but also the ability to build trust among member states, strengthen confidence in multilateral institutions and lead the organization with vision,” the Guyanese head of state said, as the world watches to see if a woman will finally head up the world body.
