U.S. opposition emerges as major hurdle for Rodrigues-Birkett UN bid

(Kaieteur News) – The contest to succeed United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has become increasingly complicated by opposition from the powerful members of the Security Council, with the United States reportedly opposed to Guyana’s candidate, Ambassador Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, according to reporting by The New York Times.

The Guyana Government has not responded to the report. On Tuesday Rodrigues-Birkett along with President Irfaan Ali and other top government ministers of Guyana met with US President, Donald Trump and Secretary of State, Marco Rubio to sign a communique on the Shield of the Americas.

According to the newspaper, Washington has indicated that it would block Rodrigues-Birkett’s candidacy because of her public position on Israel’s actions in Gaza, which she has described as genocide. Rodrigues-Birkett, Guyana’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations and a former Foreign Minister, has been one of the strongest contenders in the race. She emerged as the leading candidate in the Security Council’s second informal straw poll but slipped narrowly behind Costa Rica’s Rebeca Grynspan in the third round.