Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley has pledged her country’s full support for Guyana’s Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett to become the next United Nations Secretary-General, saying the ambassador has the experience and skills to serve the organisation’s entire membership.

“As the United Nations undertakes the important task of selecting its next Secretary-General, Barbados joins its sister Member States in the Caribbean Community in pledging its full support for the candidature of Ambassador Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett of Guyana,” Mottley told the UN General Assembly on Thursday.

“At a moment when the international community is being called upon to renew its faith in multilateralism, we believe that Ambassador Rodrigues-Birkett brings to this task the experience, the skills and the understanding to serve the entire membership of this Organization,” she said, adding: “I believe that others think so too.”

Mottley’s endorsement came in a speech calling for reform of the UN Security Council and greater support for the organisation’s work. She said Africa remained without a permanent seat on the Council, while Small Island Developing States had no assured representation despite the threats they faced from climate change, organised crime and displacement.

The Barbados leader also thanked outgoing Secretary-General António Guterres and Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed for their service.

CARICOM heads of government endorsed Rodrigues-Birkett’s candidacy at their summit in St Lucia in July. Guyana nominated its Permanent Representative to the UN in June. Rodrigues-Birkett has previously served as Guyana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Amerindian Affairs. 

Mottley’s public backing follows a report, covered by Kiskadee Watch this week, that the United States had signalled opposition to Rodrigues-Birkett’s candidacy over her description of Israel’s conduct in Gaza as genocide. Kiskadee Watch reported that three preliminary Security Council polls had produced no clear frontrunner, with Rodrigues-Birkett leading one and former Costa Rican vice-president Rebeca Grynspan leading two. 

The Security Council must recommend a candidate before the General Assembly can appoint the next Secretary-General. Any of the Council’s five permanent members can block a recommendation. The successful candidate will succeed Guterres when his term ends this year. 

President Irfaan Ali also urged support for Rodrigues-Birkett in his address to the General Assembly on Thursday, asking Security Council members to consider her record and the leadership he said the UN now needed.