The People’s Progressive Party (PPP/C) government’s campaign to place Ambassador Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett at the helm of the United Nations is all but over if Washington follows through on its reported veto threat, placing a potentially insurmountable obstacle in the path of the Guyanese nominee.
The seriousness of the development was underscored by The New York Times, which, in its examination of the race to succeed Secretary-General António Guterres, reported:
“The United States also opposes Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, Guyana’s ambassador to the U.N., for calling Israel’s conduct in Gaza a genocide.”
The report represents a potentially decisive development because the United States is one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, alongside China, Russia, Britain and France. Any one of those countries can block a candidate by exercising its veto.
The Secretary-General is recommended by the 15-member Security Council and requires at least nine affirmative votes and no veto from any permanent member. The General Assembly then formally appoints the candidate recommended by the Council.
That makes the reported U.S. position fundamentally different from an unfavourable straw-poll result. A candidate can continue campaigning after receiving “discourage” votes in an informal poll. A veto by Washington at the formal stage would prevent Rodrigues-Birkett from receiving the Council’s recommendation, regardless of support from other members.
Gaza position at centre of reported U.S. opposition
According to the New York Times report, Washington’s opposition is tied to Rodrigues-Birkett’s characterization of Israel’s conduct in Gaza as “genocide.”
During a 2024 UN Security Council intervention, Rodrigues-Birkett said there was “a veritable genocide taking place in Gaza” while criticising Israel’s conduct in the conflict. Guyana has maintained that position as part of its public diplomatic stance on the Gaza conflict.
The Irfaan Ali administration has Georgetown remained silent on reports that Washington intended to use its veto power to block Rodrigues-Birkett’s nomination.
The distinction is important: the United States has not yet cast a formal veto against Rodrigues-Birkett because the Security Council has not reached the final recommendation stage. The current development is a reported indication of Washington’s position.
Wall Street Journal criticism preceded the latest development
The reported U.S. opposition follows an increasingly contentious debate over Rodrigues-Birkett’s views on Israel.
An August 31 Wall Street Journal opinion column by editorial board member Elliot Kaufman sharply criticized Rodrigues-Birkett’s statements concerning Israel, Gaza, genocide and colonialism. Kaufman used the phrase “raging ignorantly” in describing her approach.
The Wall Street Journal article was an opinion piece and should not be confused with an official U.S. government assessment. The significance of the subsequent New York Times report is that it attributes opposition to Rodrigues-Birkett directly to Washington, rather than merely documenting criticism from an American newspaper.
Domestic criticism of her candidacy
The international controversy has also reinforced criticism that has been voiced in Guyana about Rodrigues-Birkett’s political record and suitability for the UN’s top diplomatic position.
Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) General Secretary Lincoln Lewis has questioned whether Rodrigues-Birkett’s conduct while serving as Guyana’s ambassador to the UN demonstrates the political independence expected of a prospective Secretary-General.
Lewis has argued that the Secretary-General must be capable of transcending partisan political interests at a time of intense global division. He has pointed to what he described as Rodrigues-Birkett’s partisan political involvement during Guyana’s election periods while simultaneously holding public office at the United Nations.
His criticism centres on whether an individual perceived as closely associated with a domestic political party can convincingly transition from representing a national government to serving as the chief administrative officer and diplomatic face of the entire UN system.
Social activist Mark Benschop has expressed similar concerns, questioning Rodrigues-Birkett’s qualifications and her association with the governing PPP/C. Benschop previously described the nomination as “laughable” and questioned whether she was “fit and proper” for the position.
The Institute for Action Against Discrimination (IFAAD) has urged the UN to scrutinise Guyana’s human-rights record before advancing Rodrigues-Birkett’s candidacy, with Vice Chairman Pt. Ubraj Narine questioning whether her record and advocacy demonstrate the independence and human-rights leadership expected of the UN Secretary-General.
Political and economic commentator GHK Lall, who had previously supported Rodrigues-Birkett’s candidacy, also changed his assessment following the Wall Street Journal intervention.
In a September 4 commentary titled “Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett for UN Secretary-General: It’s Over,” Lall argued that the geopolitical circumstances surrounding the candidacy had changed fundamentally.
Lall’s statement is his own political assessment and does not constitute a determination by the United Nations or any Security Council member.
CARICOM support faces Security Council reality
Rodrigues-Birkett continues to have regional backing. CARICOM Heads of Government endorsed Guyana’s nomination, making her the Caribbean’s candidate for the UN’s top diplomatic position.
She has also remained competitive in the Security Council’s informal straw polls.
In the latest poll on September 18, Costa Rica’s Rebeca Grynspan received nine “encourage” votes, compared with eight for Rodrigues-Birkett. Rodrigues-Birkett received six “discourage” votes and one “no opinion.”
The straw polls are informal and confidential. Importantly, the results do not reveal whether any of the “discourage” votes came from one of the five permanent members.
The latest field includes Grynspan, Rodrigues-Birkett, Rafael Grossi, Olara Otunnu, Macky Sall, María Fernanda Espinosa and Ivonne Baki. Former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet has withdrawn from the race.
The race therefore remains formally open.
But the reported U.S. position changes the equation dramatically.
If Washington ultimately exercises its veto, Rodrigues-Birkett’s candidacy would be blocked regardless of CARICOM’s endorsement, her performance in the straw polls or support from other Security Council members.
Until the United States formally confirms its position or casts a veto, the Guyanese nomination remains before the UN. But based on the New York Times report, the campaign now faces its most consequential obstacle—and absent a reversal by Washington, Rodrigues-Birkett’s bid for the UN’s top job is all but over.
