NEW YORK – September 24, 2026 – Speaking during the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly, Guyana’s President Irfaan Ali has issued a formal, impassioned appeal to all UN member states and particularly the Permanent Five (P5) members of the UN Security Council to throw their support behind his country’s candidate, Ambassador Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, for the post of UN Secretary-General.
Rodrigues-Birkett, who currently serves as Guyana’s Permanent Representative to the UN and was jointly nominated by Guyana and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), has previously faced a reported veto from the United States over her characterization of the ongoing crisis in Palestine as genocide. President Ali did not directly address this reported veto during his address, but made a point to explicitly call for support from all P5 members – China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States – urging the body to evaluate the nominee on her qualifications rather than geopolitical divisions.
“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 endorsed by the Caribbean Community,” President Ali told the assembled delegates. “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.”
Rodrigues-Birkett brings deep UN institutional experience to the role, having led Guyana’s delegation during the country’s 2024–2025 term as a non-permanent member of the Security Council. President Ali argued that the UN is currently at a crossroads, marked by growing divides between the Global North and Global South, large and small nations, and developed and developing economies, and that Rodrigues-Birkett’s background uniquely positions her to bridge these gaps.
“What we need now is leadership capable of restoring trust without compromising principles, of listening without surrendering conviction, of building bridges across the widening chasms between these groups,” President Ali said. “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.”
Off-script from his prepared remarks, President Ali highlighted Rodrigues-Birkett’s personal journey as an Indigenous woman from a small village in Guyana’s Barima/Waini Region, who overcame systemic barriers related to Indigeneity, gender, and poverty to rise to senior leadership roles in Guyana, including serving as Minister of Amerindian Affairs and later Foreign Minister. “Her character is built on struggle, sacrifice, commitment. Her accomplishments are crafted in her humanity,” he added.
On the topic of the Middle East, President Ali reaffirmed Guyana’s longstanding position, reiterating a call for a just and durable resolution to the Palestinian crisis that ends civilian suffering, upholds the Palestinian people’s inalienable right to self-determination and a sovereign, secure homeland. “We reiterate our support for a two-state solution,” he confirmed.