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December 24, 2025
December 24, 2025
December 24, 2025
Guyana’s tenure on the United Nations Security Council is “consequential” and widely respected, Permanent Representative Ambassador Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett said on the latest episode of the Starting Point Podcast.
Rodrigues-Birkett said the two-year term allowed Guyana to uphold principled positions, champion the UN Charter and amplify the concerns of small states on the global stage. She said the country consistently pushed for respect for territorial integrity, sovereignty, international law, human rights and humanitarian law.
She credited a unified foreign policy approach—from the President to ministers and the wider diplomatic corps—for strengthening Guyana’s credibility. The ambassador said Guyana entered the Council in 2023 with strong backing. “There was a lot of trust and confidence in us as a country, especially to represent small states,” she said.
She noted that the 15-member Council, comprising five permanent members with veto power and 10 elected members, remains the UN’s most undemocratic institution since any permanent member can block a resolution.
Despite this, Rodrigues-Birkett said Guyana did not shy away from its responsibilities. “Being a small state does not mean you have small ideas. Small states are the biggest defenders of multilateralism because our destinies are tied to others,” she noted.
She referenced a high-profile moment in 2024 when Guyana abstained from a draft resolution that some reports claimed called for a ceasefire. She said the text merely “recognised the need” for a ceasefire and did not demand one, making it ineffective. “Unless you demand a ceasefire, the warring parties don’t have to stop,” she said, adding that the decision followed consultations with headquarters. Guyana was the only country to abstain from from that vote.
With the term set to conclude in a few weeks, Rodrigues-Birkett said Guyana has withstood geopolitical pressures and adhered to its values. “We strive very hard to ensure we stick to our principles, and I am very pleased that we have been able to do that,” she said.
