Concerns Rise Over U.N. Secretary-General Candidate Rodrigues-Birkett

The race for the new U.N. secretary-general is underway, with no clear frontrunner yet. Recent straw polls among U.N. Security Council members have highlighted candidate Rebeca Grynspan, a former Costa Rican vice-president, as leading narrowly. However, Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, Guyana’s ambassador to the U.N., closely follows her, having led in previous polls.

To secure the position, a candidate must garner support from nine out of 15 council members, avoiding vetoes from any of the five permanent members: the U.S., China, the U.K., France, and Russia. Concerns arise in Washington regarding Rodrigues-Birkett’s candidacy due to her alignment with regimes like China, Cuba, and Hamas, rather than traditional U.S. allies.

Despite Guyana’s alliance with the U.S., Rodrigues-Birkett has shown support for China’s influences, endorsing the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization initiated by China. This organization’s founding agreement involves countries such as Russia, Cuba, and Nicaragua, known for their authoritarian regimes.

Rodrigues-Birkett’s connection to China became apparent during her campaign visit to Beijing. She uniquely endorsed the 1971 U.N. resolution recognizing the People’s Republic of China as China’s sole U.N. representative, a resolution Beijing uses to exclude Taiwan from the U.N. system, contrary to Washington’s stance.

She praised China’s global initiatives concerning development, security, civilization, and governance, highlighting support for President Xi Jinping’s efforts to reshape international rules favorably for Beijing.

Domestically, Rodrigues-Birkett’s ideology has shown affinity for Cuba’s communist regime, once commending Fidel Castro as a ‘visionary revolutionary’. As Guyana’s foreign minister in 2013, she condemned the U.S. blockade on Cuba while promoting views that conflict with the harsh realities of Cuba’s political climate.

Views on the Gaza conflict have also drawn scrutiny. Following Hamas’s attack in Israel on October 7, 2023, Rodrigues-Birkett appeared to shift blame towards Israel, while pressing for the continued operation of the U.N. Relief and Works Agency. The U.S. seeks to dissolve this agency due to alleged links to terrorism among its personnel.

The U.S. administration desires a U.N. Secretary-General who backs its strategies, like President Trump’s plan for Gaza’s stabilization. This involves disarming Hamas, not bolstering its narrative nor defending U.N. entities accused of aiding the group.

As a permanent U.N. Security Council member, the U.S. may exercise its veto power against Rodrigues-Birkett’s nomination, despite potential repercussions in Guyana.

Richard Goldberg and Ben Cohen, representing the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, emphasize caution regarding Rodrigues-Birkett’s potential tenure as U.N. Secretary-General.