GUYANA’S Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, has promised to preserve a role for civil society in UN decision-making if selected as Secretary-General.
During a recent interactive session with member states, delegates and civil society members, Rodrigues-Birkett was asked to say how she would move the UN’s vast civil society network from a largely consultative role to becoming a strategic source of synergy.
In a carefully calibrated response, she positioned herself as a supporter of non-governmental organisation (NGO) engagement but stressed that any deepening of NGO participation must be determined by member states and not driven from the Secretariat alone.
“The United Nations is its core member state-based organisation, and the role of NGOs I see is one where we can receive proposals and suggestions,” she said.
Rodrigues-Birkett pointed to her own record of working with civil society, citing three sets of negotiations she helped steer.
“In my time as co-facilitator for three UN processes, the Universal Health Coverage and also the establishment of the Youth Office, we had widespread consultation with civil society, and we received many good recommendations, many of them converged with that of member states,” she recalled.
She stressed that the organisation’s long-standing practice of bringing NGOs into political processes through hearings and consultations would continue.
Rodrigues-Birkett underlined that the political space for civil society at the UN ultimately depends on governments themselves.
“I know that [the] President of the General Assembly, and many of the processes that the UN is engaging in, that civil society is consulted. So, I think that there will be continued role for civil society, and I recognise that important role,” she said adding:
“It’s for us to find ways and means, but mainly for member states to decide on this, on how we can better consult and involve civil society…”
The dialogue formed part of a transparent and inclusive selection process mandated by General Assembly Resolution 79/327, under which each candidate presents their vision and answers questions from member states and civil society.
Last week President Dr Irfaan Ali announced the ambassador’s nomination for the top UN position.
He had said that Guyana’s successful tenure on the UN Security Council from 2024 to 2025 demonstrated the country’s capacity to provide leadership on the global stage.
According to the President, Guyana consistently advocates for peace, dialogue, respect for international law and the peaceful settlement of disputes while serving on the Security Council, earning international recognition for its contributions to discussions on some of the world’s most pressing issues.
Beyond its Security Council role, Guyana has become increasingly influential in global conversations surrounding climate change, environmental sustainability, food security, energy security, biodiversity conservation, and sustainable development.
