Secretary-general candidate Rodrigues-Birkett says not choosing a woman would send 'very bad message'

Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, Guyana's ambassador to the UN, is a candidate to succeed António Guterres as UN secretary-general. In an interview with El País in her New York office, she said that not choosing a woman would send a negative message. MercoPress also reported on the interview, basing its account of it on El País, so the interview quotes come from a single origin. MercoPress added leaked results from the previous straw poll and reporting from the specialist outlet PassBlue.

According to both outlets, seven candidates are in the race. The successor would take office on 1 January. Under the principle of regional rotation, it is the turn of a candidate from Latin America and the Caribbean. The outlets report that no woman has led the UN in its more than 80-year history. Rodrigues-Birkett, 53, is a former Guyanese minister of Arawak Indigenous descent.

The straw polls

The Security Council's straw poll on Friday 16 October is the first colour-coded poll, according to MercoPress. According to El País, it shows for the first time the preferences of the five permanent members: the United States, China, the United Kingdom, France and Russia. According to MercoPress, a candidate needs at least nine votes in favour and no opposition from a permanent member to be recommended to the General Assembly. The reports reviewed by Vocemundi do not include the results of the 16 October poll.

Rodrigues-Birkett and Costa Rica's Rebeca Grynspan held the top two positions in the first four informal ballots, according to El País. In the most recent ballot, held on 7 October according to MercoPress, she fell to third behind Argentina's Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency. MercoPress cited leaked results: Grynspan 9 encourage and 6 discourage; Grossi 6 encourage, 7 discourage and 2 no opinion; Rodrigues-Birkett 5 encourage, 9 discourage and 1 no opinion. The reports do not identify who leaked the figures, and the figures are not independently corroborated.

Her drop came after articles recalled her criticism of Israel over the war in Gaza. El País writes that she speaks of a campaign against her that caused her to lose ground in the last vote.

According to El País, diplomats have raised the possibility of a deadlock leaving the UN without a new leader on 1 January. El País also describes speculation about whether the United States might wait for new candidates. The reports do not include any statement from the United States or other permanent members.

What is disputed

MercoPress reports that four of the seven candidates are Latin American. El País quotes Rodrigues-Birkett as saying: "We have five candidates from that region." The reports do not explain the difference.

What each side says

Rodrigues-Birkett told El País: "It would be a very bad message." She added: "I am not presenting this candidacy because I am a woman; I am running on my ability and my competence." MercoPress rendered her words as saying it "would send a very negative message to the world".

On her criticism of Israel, she said she has advocated a two-state solution. "If standing up for the Charter and international law is going to work against me in this contest, I'm happy to choose that any day," she said. Asked whether there was a campaign against her, she said she had seen the articles and was aware of "other outreaches" she would speak about "at the appropriate time".

On a possible deadlock, she said: "That would be one of the best ways to reduce the United Nations' credibility." On new candidates: "All candidates should be subjected to the same level of scrutiny."

MercoPress, citing PassBlue, reported that the United Kingdom would oppose Grossi because of Argentina's claim over the Falklands. The reports do not include a response from the United Kingdom.

Analysis

The colour-coded poll could make the race clearer, because it shows where permanent members stand. A candidate with a 'discourage' vote from a permanent member could face a veto later. Several scenarios remain open. One candidate could gain enough support for a recommendation. A deadlock could also delay the choice beyond 1 January, a possibility diplomats have raised according to El País. A third option is the arrival of new candidates. The debate over gender and regional rotation may shape how member states judge the outcome. The available reporting comes from one interview and some leaked figures, so these dynamics remain uncertain.

Produced by the Vocemundi newsroom with AI assistance.