Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett from Guyana, candidate for the position of UN secretary-general, speaks during the interactive dialogue at the UN headquarters in New York, June 18, 2026. The UN General Assembly on Thursday convened an interactive dialogue with Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, Guyana's permanent representative to the United Nations, who was nominated by Guyana early this week for the position of UN secretary-general. (Mark Garten/UN Photo/Handout via Xinhua)
UNITED NATIONS, June 18 (Xinhua) -- The UN General Assembly (UNGA) on Thursday convened an interactive dialogue with Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, Guyana's permanent representative to the United Nations, who was nominated by Guyana early this week for the position of UN secretary-general.
Speaking about her vision statement, Rodrigues-Birkett said the appointment of the next secretary-general comes at a critical moment for the United Nations, as the global landscape has changed and the tools required to guide the organization must likewise evolve.
Rodrigues-Birkett noted her "strong belief" in the United Nations, and said she was realistic about its challenges -- the proliferation of conflicts and crises, the slow pace in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, and the ongoing liquidity crisis facing the organization.
She pledged to be proactive in engaging UN member states to advance the purposes and principles enshrined in the UN Charter, to reform the UN system, and together with UN member states to rally toward the goal of a more agile, effective United Nations which delivers equally across all three pillars -- peace and security, development, and human rights.
UNGA President Annalena Baerbock, while presiding over the dialogue, said the multilateral system with the United Nations at its center is "under unprecedented political and financial pressure," from a deepening liquidity crisis to fundamental principles of the UN Charter being put into question.
The next secretary-general will be entrusted not only with navigating these challenges, but also with advancing essential reforms to ensure the United Nations is fit for the future, she said, adding that the world needs the United Nations more than ever, and it needs a secretary-general who can provide strong, principled and effective leadership across all three pillars of the organization.
The UNGA convened an interactive dialogue with Maria Fernanda Espinosa, former UNGA president and former foreign minister and defense minister of Ecuador, on Monday, following interactive dialogues in late April with four other candidates for the next UN chief.
The term of Antonio Guterres, the current and ninth secretary-general of the United Nations, will expire at the end of this year. The next UN secretary-general will take over the role on Jan. 1, 2027. ■
Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett (L) from Guyana, candidate for the position of UN secretary-general, speaks during the interactive dialogue at the UN headquarters in New York, June 18, 2026. The UN General Assembly on Thursday convened an interactive dialogue with Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, Guyana's permanent representative to the United Nations, who was nominated by Guyana early this week for the position of UN secretary-general. (Mark Garten/UN Photo/Handout via Xinhua)
