UN leadership campaign: Guyana’s Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett pushes for youth inclusion in shaping global policies

Guyana’s candidate for the post of United Nations Secretary General (UNSG), Ambassador Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, has continued her international engagement, calling for greater youth participation in shaping global policies during a high-level forum in the Republic of Korea.

Rodrigues-Birkett participated in a dialogue with fellow candidates for the UN’s top post at the Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity, where discussions focused on the theme, “Reimagining Multilateralism.”
Addressing the forum, the Guyanese diplomat underscored the need to involve young people in the work of the UN, particularly in developing policies on emerging global issues such as artificial intelligence (AI) governance.
“In all of the processes that the UN is involved in, young people must be consulted as shapers and contributors to policies,” Rodrigues-Birkett said in response to a question on youth involvement in AI governance.
In her closing remarks, she called for reform of the global body, stating, “Together we must remake a UN that learns from the past, that is fit for the present and ready for the future… together with you, we could make a better UN.”
Also participating in the session was former UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who said the next UN Chief would have the responsibility of rebuilding confidence in multilateralism.
“The next Secretary General of the United Nations will have the rare privilege of rebuilding shattered trust in multilateralism and demonstrating convincingly and concretely that the UN can still make a real tangible difference in the lives of ordinary people everywhere in this world,” Ban said.
The event was hosted by the Jeju Peace Institute, the Ban Ki-moon Foundation for a Better Future and the United Nations Foundation.
Rodrigues-Birkett’s appearance in South Korea comes days after she participated in a panel discussion at the UN headquarters on advancing women’s leadership in diplomacy, held ahead of the International Day of Women in Diplomacy. The discussion examined barriers to women’s leadership and explored measures to improve gender parity in international institutions.
Earlier this month, the veteran diplomat also presented her vision for the UN during an interactive dialogue before the UN General Assembly, part of the formal selection process for the next Secretary General.
During that presentation, she described the UN as “indispensable” while arguing that reforms are needed to improve its effectiveness. She proposed strengthening internal efficiency, improving coordination across the organisation and ensuring better delivery in the areas of peace and security, development and human rights.
Rodrigues-Birkett also advocated for a stronger UN role in conflict mediation, closer collaboration with regional organisations and the appointment of a diverse leadership team with representation from all regions, including developing countries.
She currently serves as Guyana’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, a position she has held for the past five years. She previously served as Minister of Amerindian Affairs and Minister of Foreign Affairs.
President Dr Irfaan Ali nominated Rodrigues-Birkett for the position earlier this month. She is among several candidates seeking to succeed António Guterres, whose second term as UN Secretary General ends later this year.