Social activist, broadcaster and host of ‘Straight Up with Mark Benschop,’ Mark Benschop, has criticised President Irfaan Ali’s nomination of Ambassador Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, Guyana’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, as Guyana’s candidate for Secretary-General of the United Nations, describing the move as “laughable” and urging opposition parties not to support what he views as a partisan candidacy.
Benschop’s comments come shortly after the Alliance For Change (AFC) publicly endorsed Rodrigues-Birkett’s nomination, arguing that Guyana should unite behind a national candidate seeking one of the highest offices in international diplomacy.
Speaking with Village Voice News, however, Benschop questioned both Rodrigues-Birkett’s qualifications and the wisdom of opposition support.
“The nomination by President Irfaan Ali of Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett as a candidate to be the next Secretary-General of the United Nations is laughable,” Benschop said.
“She is not fit and proper. Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett is the least qualified of all of them.”
The office of United Nations Secretary-General is regarded as the world’s most important diplomatic position. The successful candidate must secure the recommendation of the 15-member United Nations Security Council before being approved by the 193-member General Assembly. Any of the five permanent Security Council members—the United States, China, Russia, the United Kingdom and France—can effectively veto a candidate.
While there are no formal constitutional qualifications for the post, candidates are generally expected to possess extensive international leadership experience, diplomatic credentials, management expertise and the ability to navigate complex geopolitical disputes involving the world’s major powers.
President Ali’s nomination of Rodrigues-Birkett places Guyana in a competitive international field that includes several high-profile diplomats and political leaders.
Among the contenders is Rafael Grossi of Argentina, the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), who has gained international prominence through his work on nuclear security and inspections in Ukraine, Iran and other global hotspots.
Also widely mentioned is Rebeca Grynspan of Costa Rica, a former vice-president and current Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), one of the UN’s principal agencies.
Former Senegalese President Macky Sall has also emerged as a contender, reportedly receiving support from Burundi. Sall previously served as Chairperson of the African Union and led one of Africa’s most influential democracies.
Another prominent candidate is María Fernanda Espinosa of Ecuador, whose nomination has been backed by Antigua and Barbuda. Espinosa previously served as Ecuador’s foreign minister, defence minister and President of the United Nations General Assembly, making her one of the most experienced figures in multilateral diplomacy.
Against that backdrop, Benschop argued that Rodrigues-Birkett’s résumé does not compare favourably with those of her international rivals.
Ambassador Rodrigues-Birkett, Guyana’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, has served as Minister of Amerindian Affairs, Minister of Foreign Affairs and currently represents Guyana at the UN. She has also chaired the Caribbean Community’s Council for Foreign and Community Relations (COFCOR) and represented Guyana in numerous international forums.
Nevertheless, Benschop maintained that her record was closely aligned with the governing People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C).
“You look at her track record. It wasn’t about Guyana. It wasn’t about the Caribbean. It wasn’t about South America. It wasn’t about the region. It was all about PPP propaganda,” he asserted.
He also dismissed the nomination as politically motivated.
“It’s a self-serving gesture by the PPP regime,” Benschop said, adding that he does not believe the candidacy will advance very far within the UN system.
“Even so, I’m optimistic it’s not going to move forward, because the folks at the UN are already aware that she’s the least qualified of all of them.“
His criticism was particularly directed at opposition parties that may be considering support for the nomination.
The Alliance For Change’s endorsement has already signaled that at least one opposition party views the bid as an opportunity for Guyana to elevate its international profile. The party has argued that national interest should take precedence over domestic political differences when a Guyanese is seeking a major international office.
Benschop disagrees.
“I would urge the opposition to be very careful, extremely careful, in rendering any support for PPP’s candidate,” he said.
He argued that Rodrigues-Birkett should not be viewed as a national consensus nominee.
“Carolyn Birkett, is the PPP candidate, not the Guyana candidate.”
According to Benschop, her long association with the the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), generally seen as partisan, raises concerns about whose interests she would ultimately represent.
“She has to really serve the interests of the PPP if some miracle happens and she gets into that position,” he added.
The debate over Rodrigues-Birkett’s nomination has opened a broader discussion about Guyana’s place on the international stage and whether domestic political divisions should be set aside when pursuing global leadership positions.
Supporters point to her decades of diplomatic and governmental experience and argue that Guyana should rally behind her. Observers, including party supporters, however, contend that the position demands a level of global leadership and influence more commonly associated with former heads of state, leaders of major international organisations and senior UN officials.
Ultimately, Rodrigues-Birkett’s fate will be decided not by political parties in Georgetown but by member states of the United Nations. Yet Benschop’s intervention highlights a central question already emerging in Guyana’s political discourse: whether the nomination represents a genuinely national bid for global leadership or a partisan project being presented as one.
