China’s Foreign Minister meets Guyana’s Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett on UNSG post

China’s Foreign Minister and Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, Wang Yi, has met with Guyana’s candidate for the next United Nations Secretary-General, Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett.

He noted that the organisation’s future leadership is critical at a time when the international system faces growing pressure from conflict, climate change and geopolitical tensions.

The meeting took place in Beijing as Rodrigues-Birkett continues her campaign for the organisation’s top post.

During the discussions, Rodrigues-Birkett outlined her vision for a United Nations centred on stronger multilateral cooperation, institutional reform and sustainable development, arguing that the global body must become more agile, effective and responsive to emerging global challenges.

She said the world was experiencing “profound changes unseen in a century”, with armed conflicts, the climate crisis and widening development gaps creating increasingly complex challenges for the international community.

Despite these pressures, she maintained that multilateralism remained indispensable.

“Regardless of how the situation evolves, multilateralism is not an option but a necessity for the international community,” Rodrigues-Birkett said.

She pledged to pursue reforms aimed at making the United Nations more efficient, fairer and better equipped to respond to global crises while placing sustainable development at the centre of the international agenda.

Her campaign platform focuses on strengthening the UN’s capacity to address conflict prevention and peacebuilding, climate change, food insecurity and emerging threats to international peace and security.

Rodrigues-Birkett also praised China as a steadfast supporter of the United Nations and global development, reaffirming her commitment to the one-China principle and expressing support for United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758.

She also commended China’s four major global initiatives and its proposal to establish a World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organisation.

Moreover, Wang Yi said the next Secretary-General will play a decisive role in helping the organisation navigate an increasingly unstable global environment.

“Ms Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett’s decision to run for Secretary-General demonstrates her firm belief in multilateralism and steadfast support for the UN cause,” Wang said.

He added that China will participate in the selection of the next Secretary-General responsibly and constructively and supports the appointment of a leader who demonstrates integrity, fairness, competence and a strong commitment to the UN Charter.

Such leadership, he said, will help restore the organisation’s authority, strengthen its effectiveness and enable it to respond to evolving global challenges.

He further noted that this year marks the 55th anniversary of the restoration of the People’s Republic of China’s lawful seat at the United Nations.

Wang said China has consistently acted as a builder of world peace, a contributor to global development and a defender of the international order, while remaining committed to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter.

Meanwhile, Rodrigues-Birkett enters the race with more than two decades of experience in diplomacy, governance and international development.

She has served as Guyana’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations since 2020 and led the country’s diplomatic engagement during its historic tenure as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council.

Before taking up her current post, she served as Director of the Food and Agriculture Organisation’s Liaison Office in Geneva between 2017 and 2020.

Her earlier ministerial career included seven years as Guyana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2008 to 2015, where she represented the country on regional and international issues, and seven years as Minister of Amerindian Affairs from 2001 to 2008, during which she championed policies to advance the rights and welfare of Indigenous peoples. [Extracted and Modified from DPI]