Guyana’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Carolyn Rodrigues Birkett, has emerged as the leading candidate in the latest informal poll for the next UN Secretary-General.
The UN Security Council conducted its second non-binding straw poll on Friday as part of the process to find a successor to current Secretary-General António Guterres, whose second five-year term ends on December 31, 2026.
Rodrigues Birkett received eight “encourage” votes, three “discourage” votes and four members expressing no opinion.
Costa Rican diplomat Rebeca Grynspan and Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), followed closely, each receiving seven “encourage” votes. Grossi received six “discourage” votes, while Grynspan received four.
Grynspan had topped the field in the first round of voting held in July.
Other declared candidates include former Senegalese President Macky Sall, former UN General Assembly President Maria Fernanda Espinosa of Ecuador, former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, Ugandan diplomat Olara Otunnu, and Ecuadorian diplomat Ivonne A-Baki.
The secret straw polls are designed to measure support among the Security Council’s 15 members and gradually narrow the list of candidates before a formal recommendation is sent to the UN General Assembly.
In a formal Security Council vote, a candidate needs at least nine votes to advance. However, any of the five permanent members—the United States, China, France, Russia and the United Kingdom—can block a nominee with a veto.
Guterres has served as UN Secretary-General since 2017. Although there is no formal limit on the number of terms a secretary-general can serve, no previous secretary-general has served more than two terms.
The next UN chief will face the challenge of restoring confidence in the organisation amid growing international conflicts and criticism over its ability to prevent or resolve major global crises.
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