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Rodrigues-Birkett faces tougher race for UN chief
…as former UN under- secretary enters contest
Guyana’s hopes of producing the next Secretary-General of the United Nations have become more challenging after Uganda officially nominated veteran diplomat Olara Otunnu, expanding the race to seven candidates.
The move comes just days before the UN Security Council begins informal straw polls that will determine which contenders remain in the running to succeed António Guterres when his second five-year term ends later this year.
Guyanese, Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett
Otunnu, 75, is a former United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict. His entry adds another experienced international figure to a contest that already includes Guyana’s former Foreign Affairs Minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, who was nominated earlier this year.
Rodrigues-Birkett is one of two Caribbean and Latin American candidates seeking to become the world’s top diplomat, alongside contenders from Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Senegal and now Uganda.
The selection process is expected to intensify this week as the 15-member UN Security Council begins a series of confidential straw polls designed to narrow the field before recommending a single candidate to the General Assembly.
Diplomats say there is still no clear frontrunner, although there has been growing sentiment within the UN that it is Latin America’s turn to hold the post. There is also strong international support for the organisation to appoint its first-ever woman Secretary-General.
Whoever succeeds Guterres will inherit an organisation grappling with multiple global conflicts, financial constraints and increasing calls for sweeping institutional reform.
In his vision statement, Otunnu pledged to pursue UN reforms, prioritise efforts to end major international conflicts, establish global oversight of artificial intelligence and promote climate action without undermining economic development.
Rodrigues-Birkett, meanwhile, continues to campaign for support among UN member states as Guyana seeks to secure one of the most influential diplomatic positions in the world. (Reuters)
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