GUYANA’S candidate for United Nations Secretary-General, Ambassador Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, has continued her diplomatic outreach for the post, presenting her candidacy to Egyptian Foreign Minister, Badr Abdelatty, during an engagement on the margins of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly in New York.
The meeting took place on Sunday, September 20, according to Egypt’s State Information Service, which said Abdelatty heard Rodrigues-Birkett’s vision and priorities for the future of the United Nations and ways to strengthen the organisation’s capacity to respond to growing international challenges.
Rodrigues-Birkett’s presentation forms part of her ongoing engagements with UN member states as the selection process for the organisation’s next Secretary-General advances.
During the meeting, she outlined her vision for a more agile, efficient and effective United Nations and exchanged views with the Egyptian minister on the organisation’s future role in addressing global challenges.
Abdelatty, according to the Egyptian government, reaffirmed Egypt’s support for the United Nations and the multilateral international system.
He also stressed the importance of adherence to the UN Charter and international law in advancing international peace, security and cooperation.
Rodrigues-Birkett, Guyana’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, was formally nominated by Guyana in June for the Secretary-General position.
Her nomination was subsequently endorsed by CARICOM Heads of Government, who identified her as the region’s candidate.
Her candidacy comes as the UN undertakes the process of selecting a successor to Secretary-General António Guterres, whose second term ends on December 31, 2026.
The UN process provides for the Security Council to recommend a candidate to the 193-member General Assembly, which makes the formal appointment.
Rodrigues-Birkett has presented a platform focused on strengthening multilateralism and reforming the UN’s systems and practices to make the organisation more responsive to member states and global developments.
In her June interactive dialogue with member states and civil society, she said the organisation faced challenges including continuing conflicts and crises, slow progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals and a liquidity crisis. She proposed greater efficiency within the Secretariat, improved handling of mandates and stronger alignment across the UN system.
She has also emphasised the importance of ensuring that the UN delivers across its three principal areas of work, peace and security, development, and human rights, while working with member states, regional organisations, civil society and other stakeholders.
Rodrigues-Birkett brings more than 25 years of public-sector and international experience to the candidacy.
She has served as Guyana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and International Cooperation, Minister of Amerindian Affairs, an international civil servant with the Food and Agriculture Organization, and Guyana’s Permanent Representative to the UN since 2020.
She also led Guyana’s delegation during the country’s 2024–2025 tenure on the Security Council.
The outreach to Egypt comes as candidates engage governments and UN stakeholders ahead of the eventual decision.
The UN maintains a public list of nominated candidates and their vision statements as part of the current selection process.
For Guyana, the candidacy places one of its senior diplomats at the centre of an international process involving the UN’s 193 member states and the Security Council’s 15 members. The next Secretary-General is expected to assume office at the beginning of January 2027.
