Pres Ali lobbies UNSC Permanent Members to support Amb Rodrigues-Birkett for UN top post

– says her experience uniquely positions her to navigate challenges confronting organisation

President Irfaan Ali appealed to the United Nations Security Council and the wider body to support Ambassador Carolyn Rodrigues Birkett’s candidacy for Secretary General (SG), as she possesses the experience and leadership skills necessary to give greater voice to small states like hers and rebuild trust in an increasingly fractured international order.
“In the humblest of ways, I call on the P5, the Security Council, and every member here to look beyond the small country that nominated her,” the President said in his address yesterday morning in New York, as the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) continued.
“CARICOM, as a body, has endorsed her. And let us rise to the challenge of giving this indigenous woman the chance to help us craft together the United Nations we want to see succeed. The responsibility for recommending the next Secretary General rests, in the first instance, with the Security Council, and we therefore respectfully place before its members the candidature of Carolyn Rodrigues Birkett,” he added.
And as Rodrigues Birkett sat with Guyana’s delegation, the President reasoned that the organisation’s future credibility depends on leadership capable of championing multilateralism at a time when geopolitical tensions, armed conflicts, widening inequalities, and global insecurity continue to test international institutions, and she embodies this inclusive, principled skill set.
Embracing this “new and invigorated multilateralism”, he said, would see a UN capable of confronting the turbulence of the present era while defending the rules-based international order, but the reforms needed cannot happen without strong leadership.
“The United Nations needs its next Secretary General to work with all member states to restore confidence in the organisation, mobilise its energies, and turn the language of multilateralism from aspiration into action,” he stated.
Rodrigues Birkett, he described, is a leader whose career and experience uniquely position her to navigate the challenges confronting the organisation. “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,” he posited.

Ali also highlighted her service to Guyana, her advocacy on behalf of developing countries, and her extensive work within the multilateral system.  “She has served her country, represented the developing world, and worked within the multilateral system with a deep understanding of both its promise and its imperfections,” he told delegates.
According to the President, her qualities align closely with the demands of the current moment.
“We believe that her experience, her convictions, and her record of service speak directly to the kind of leadership this moment demands,” he said.
Ali suggested that the significance of her candidacy extends beyond Guyana itself, presenting it as a symbol of the aspirations of smaller states and developing nations that seek greater inclusion within international decision-making structures.
He noted that the UN requires leadership capable of bridging growing divides between rich and poor nations, major powers and smaller states, and the developed and developing worlds.
“We need leadership capable of restoring trust without compromising principle; of listening without surrendering conviction; of building bridges across the widening chasms between North and South, between large states and small, and between the developed and developing worlds,” he said.
The President further argued that the SG must be willing to uphold the UN Charter consistently and courageously.
“We need a Secretary General who will defend the Charter not only when it is politically convenient but precisely when its principles are under pressure,” he stated.
A significant portion of Ali’s appeal centred on Rodrigues Birkett’s personal story, which he portrayed as emblematic of resilience, determination, and social mobility.
Describing her as an Indigenous woman who emerged from a small Indigenous village to attain positions of national and international leadership, Ali said her life experience gives her a unique appreciation of the struggles faced by many across the developing world. “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 – defying every challenge and rising to the top amidst those challenges,” he said.
Her character, he added, has been shaped by «struggle, sacrifice, and commitment», while her achievements have been grounded in her sense of humanity.
The President, whom Rodrigues Birkett has said encouraged her to take up candidacy and who has been “very, very supportive” and has the blessings of his Government, stated that his personal assessment of Rodrigues Birkett is that she is a figure of exceptional integrity and dedication.
“This is an individual of exceptional qualities, not because she is Guyanese or because she comes from Guyana, but because I know her personally,” he said.
He noted that many diplomats stationed at the UN were already familiar with her record and character.
“The Permanent Representatives here in New York know her character, her integrity, her will, her commitment, her love for humanity, and her love for this world,” he said.
And if the UN’s 193 countries want to ensure peace and security, the protection of human rights, and fostering international cooperation continue for generations to come, they would choose Rodrigues Birkett. Said the President, “I know that this world will be a better place with Carolyn Rodrigues as the Secretary General of the United Nations.”