CARICOM leaders have reaffirmed their endorsement of Guyana’s Ambassador Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett for United Nations secretary-general, leaving Antigua and Barbuda’s nominee, former Ecuadorian Foreign Minister María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés, without the regional bloc’s backing.
Caricom Backs Guyana Candidate
The decision, announced in a CARICOM Secretariat statement Wednesday, maintains the Community’s support for Rodrigues-Birkett despite Espinosa’s competing candidacy.
Antigua and Barbuda formally nominated Espinosa on May 11, according to the United Nations’ official candidate list. An Ecuadorian diplomat, she previously served as president of the UN General Assembly from September 2018 to September 2019 and as her country’s foreign minister.
Her nomination by Antigua and Barbuda places her in the race with the backing of a CARICOM member state, while the regional organization has collectively endorsed Guyana’s candidate.
In its statement, CARICOM said heads of government renewed their support for Rodrigues-Birkett during their Oct. 23 intersessional meeting. They reaffirmed an endorsement first set out in the communiqué from their regular meeting on July 10.
The statement did not mention Espinosa, address Antigua and Barbuda’s nomination or indicate whether leaders discussed her candidacy. It also did not announce a withdrawal of Antigua and Barbuda’s support for her.
Leaders expressed confidence in Rodrigues-Birkett’s ability and integrity to lead the UN through global challenges and institutional reform. They cited more than two decades of experience spanning legislative, political, diplomatic and international public service, describing her as a consensus builder.
Rodrigues-Birkett is Guyana’s permanent representative to the United Nations and a former foreign minister. Her nomination documents also cite her service as minister of Amerindian affairs and as a director within the UN Food and Agriculture Organization.
Beyond endorsing Rodrigues-Birkett, CARICOM leaders urged the Security Council and General Assembly to uphold geographical balance and respect regional rotation in selecting the next secretary-general.
They said these principles help safeguard opportunities for small states to contribute to the UN, including through its highest offices, and argued that the next leader should come from Latin America and the Caribbean.
That regional position accommodates the nationality of both Rodrigues-Birkett and Espinosa, but CARICOM’s endorsement remains specifically with the Guyanese candidate.
The leaders also thanked countries supporting Rodrigues-Birkett, saying the selection of a woman from CARICOM would mark a historic new chapter for the organization.
CARICOM’s endorsement is a diplomatic boost, but the appointment rests with the UN General Assembly, acting on a recommendation from the Security Council.
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