Caribbean leaders are rallying behind Guyana’s bid for the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General (SG) post. In a June 12 announcement, President Dr Irfaan Ali disclosed that Guyana would be seeking the UN Secretary-General position and nominated former Foreign Affairs Minister and current Permanent Representative of Guyana to the UN, Ambassador Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, for the role. The tenure of the current UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, will end on December 31, 2026.

Last week, regional leaders gathered for the 51st Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (Caricom), held in Gros Islet, St Lucia. During the four-day high-level engagement, the Heads of Government reaffirmed the Community’s commitment to multilateralism, underpinned by the UN Charter and international law, especially in the face of pressing global challenges confronting the international community.

Moreover, they noted that a new UN Secretary-General is to be appointed during a particularly critical time for the world community. The regional leaders acknowledged with appreciation that several distinguished candidates have been nominated from Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) to fill the post, including a candidate from Guyana.