June 3, 2025
The Guyana delegation to the United Nations is building a strong alliance with Africa through the country’s two-year term on the Security Council. Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, Guyana’s permanent representative to the UN, counted enhancing the Afro-Caribbean alliance as one of her country’s proudest diplomatic accomplishments during its tenure, which ends on Dec. 31, 2025.
“One of the things I will take with me is Guyana’s membership in the A3+ and how we operated with the three African countries,” Rodrigues-Birkett told PassBlue during an interview on May 22. Her country leads the Security Council as rotating president in June.
“Perhaps now is not the time, but I think history will judge that formation by Africa for the three African countries to represent an African position on the majority of issues in the Security Council,” she said.
The A3+ is a coalition of the three elected African members that sit every year in the Council, known as the A3, plus an additional like-minded country, traditionally from the Latin American-Caribbean region. Since taking its seat in the Council in January 2023, Guyana has joined the A3 as the “plus,” working this year with Algeria, Sierra Leone and Somalia to align on key issues, particularly those affecting Africa and the global South.
The A3 mechanism started in the early 2000s to coordinate the voting and messaging of the three African nations on the Council. African members at the time coordinated the informal bloc to articulate common positions, especially in debates that disproportionately affect the continent.
The “plus” element was introduced with St. Vincent and the Grenadines becoming the first Caribbean country to join the A3 during its 2020–2021 Council term (teaming up then with Niger, South Africa and Tunisia). Guyana currently represents the Latin American-Caribbean region in the Council, and its alliance with the three African countries reflects a growing trend of Afro-Caribbean diplomatic alignment in the broader UN system. (Colombia is most likely to be voted into the Council on June 3 by the General Assembly to succeed Guyana.)
In the 15-member Council, the A3+ coalition and the larger African Union bloc at the UN have demonstrated influence in securing a resolution that enables the UN to fund African-led peace operations. The arrangement was secured under Resolution 2719, unanimously adopted in December 2023.
The text granted African-led peace operations to receive financing from UN-assessed contributions, covering up to 75 percent of their annual budgets, with the remaining 25 percent to be raised through extrabudgetary resources. But the proposal has yet to be applied, as the United States is objecting to the UN paying partly for a Somali-African Union peacekeeping mission.
The A3+ have also used the Council to speak in unison on certain Latin American files. Rodrigues-Birkett, a 51-year-old former politician, delivered the A3+ joint statement on Colombia in the Council on April 22, 2025. In the statement, prepared by Guyana with consultation from other African countries, the ambassador condemned the recruitment and use of children in the continuing conflict among the Colombian government, paramilitary groups and leftist guerrillas. Children in armed conflict is an agenda item chaired by Guyana in the Council.
“Guyana as the ‘plus’ in the A3+ mechanism is not just part of an alliance grounded in the principle of African solutions for African problems, but also in a strong historical connection of Africa and the Caribbean and growing relations between the two regions,” Rodrigues-Birkett told PassBlue.
The A3+ has also tapped its influence to try to limit or block Council actions that did not align with African Union decisions or the interests of specific African member states. The group stalled Council statements on the brutal civil war in Sudan until the African Union Peace and Security Council and the AU Ministerial Committee on Sudan gave explicit direction in 2023 on mediation efforts. (Guyana was not part of the group that year.)
The coalition has also used its influence to push back on UN Security Council sanctions in Africa. Although not always successful, the A3, like Russia and China, work against renewing sanction regimes and blocking new ones, especially related to the African continent.
Daniel Forti, a senior analyst at the International Crisis Group think tank, pointed out that while the A3+ countries have coordinated together across several issues, the non-African “plus” country doesn’t always agree with the position of the Africans, “particularly when the African member states are hesitant about UNSC action.” Sometimes, the three African nations don’t agree on a single position.
The A3+ countries failed to agree on recently renewing the Council arms embargo on South Sudan. Guyana voted for the extension while Algeria, Sierra Leone and Somalia abstained. The resolution passed with nine votes and six abstentions. In 2022, Ghana, a Council member at the time, voted alongside nine other members to renew the arms embargo on South Sudan, veering from the position of Gabon and Kenya, who abstained.
Rodrigues-Birkett has also presented A3+ positions on Syria, Yemen and Afghanistan in the Council. An annual retreat of the coalition was hosted in Georgetown, Guyana’s capital, and the first Africa-Caricom in-person summit is scheduled to take place in Addis Ababa in September. All these actions reflect a trans-Atlantic alliance that holds immeasurable diplomatic benefits for Africa and the Caribbean, Rodrigues-Birkett said.
“The [+] countries shape Council voting dynamics as four of the Council’s 15 members regularly vote in unison,” Forti said. “By joining the grouping and helping consolidate this relationship, Guyana has made it easier for Caribbean countries elected to the Council in the future to follow in their footsteps.”
Each month, PassBlue profiles UN ambassadors as their countries assume the Council presidency. As Guyana assumes its final rotating presidency in its two-year term, Rodrigues-Birkett shared how the Caribbean country is building solidarity with Africa and also discussed, among other topics, the UN conference on the two-state solution between Israel and Palestine, from June 17-20; whether she is interested in becoming a candidate as the next UN secretary-general; and the territorial dispute between Guyana and Venezuela.
Her comments have been edited and condensed for clarity.
PassBlue: I’d like to follow up on our conversation from last year, when you expressed hope about the war in Gaza and emphasized the importance of ensuring humanitarian aid could reach those in need. A year on, however, the situation has deteriorated further. Have your views on Gaza evolved in light of these developments?
Rodrigues-Birkett: Thank you. And indeed, a year has gone by so quickly, but I could imagine for the people of Gaza, this would seem like a lifetime and not much has changed. In fact, as you mentioned, things have gotten worse, but we cannot lose hope. We have to continue to call for a ceasefire, because that’s the only way we would be able to get humanitarian aid at scale. But I also believe that the June meeting at the UN on the two-state solution [Palestine and Israel] offers an opportunity to really look at the action points to take us to the solution. I know that there are many who seem to think that the two-state solution is fading, but this is not what Guyana believes and not what the majority of the UN member states believe, as evidenced by the vote last year recognizing Palestine as a full member of the UN.
PassBlue: Regarding the two-state solution between Israel and Palestine, while there have been repeated calls for it to materialize, the current Israeli government appears strongly opposed to the plan. Given the growing control of Gaza’s territory by Israel in the war and considering the actions of the occupying power, do you still believe a two-state solution is viable?
Rodrigues-Birkett: I do not think that because the objective of one state is in the opposite direction of the goal of the United Nations that we should succumb to what we’ve decided. So, I think that regardless of what is happening, and we condemn all that is happening — that is, the continued and multiple displacement of people in Gaza — but we cannot give up on the two-state solution. We strongly believe that without the two-state solution, the cycle of violence will continue.
PassBlue: What’s Guyana’s view on the US-Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation now delivering aid in parts of Gaza as the UN is sidelined in such efforts?
Rodrigues-Birkett: What we have heard from the UN is that that is not a plausible alternative, and may even contravene international humanitarian law. We believe that the UN has proven itself through UNRWA to be able to provide the necessary assistance. In fact, it is a lifeline for the people in Gaza. Let us not forget that UNRWA exists because we have not gotten to the two-state solution. But from the information we have, the alternative that has been put forward, which is controlled by the Israeli military, is not one that can work.
PassBlue: Please tell us about Guyana’s main events for your June presidency.
Rodrigues-Birkett: June is one of the busiest months for the Security Council. On our program of work, we have 29 mandated meetings, including an open debate on children in armed conflict, on June 25. The situation of children in armed conflict is getting worse. I’m hoping we can bring our voices through our individual statements to call for violations against children to end. Our children are our future, and we have to protect them. War has rules, and sadly, we are seeing an increase in these violations.
Guyana’s signature debate, scheduled for June 19, will highlight how poverty and underdevelopment drive conflict as well as how they affect international peace and security. President Irfaan Ali is expected to chair the session with briefers invited from the UN and the African Union. The Council has focused in the past on the security-development nexus and we intend to go a step further, zeroing in on poverty and development. [Rodrigues-Birkett told the media on June 2 that the Council is planning to produce a presidential statement on the debate]
PassBlue: I see that your June 19 event will be tied in some way to the UN80 reform initiative. Given that Secretary-General António Guterres’s reform proposal includes potential reductions across the three core UN pillars — peace and security, development and human rights — what is Guyana’s perspective on the initiative? Please elaborate on the importance of prioritizing development in the broader context of promoting peace.
Rodrigues-Birkett: Now that the UN will be 80 years old, it offers an opportunity to look back and see how best we can deliver on its core mandate, given the shrinkage of resources and the disregard for international law in some sections of our world. UN80 is a time for celebration and reflection.
PassBlue: While the need for UN reform has been widely acknowledged over the years, critics argue that this new effort will fail to tackle the deeper, structural issues that have long been known in the system. What is your country’s position on this initiative?
Rodrigues-Birkett: I think there’s a lot of criticism to go around on many different things, but let us not forget that the UN is us, the member states, and the secretary-general is putting forward his initiative on how we can make the UN more fit for purpose, and it is up to the member states on how fast we move with reform in other aspects of the organization. The Security Council, for example, is one reform that is needed. I think we also now have an opportunity, given that we are not able to prevent conflicts as we should and there is an increase in conflicts as well the ballooning of humanitarian needs and that development is not progressing as it should, we are not going to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. So, I think that it is up to make this reform go forward.
PassBlue: You’ve been mentioned as a potential candidate for the next UN secretary-general. Are you thinking about this actively?
Rodrigues-Birkett: I’m not thinking about it. But I agree completely that the next secretary-general should come from our [Latin American-Caribbean] region, and I’m extremely flattered that my name is being called. Our current secretary-general has done an excellent job. He has spoken about the things that he should speak about, and I know that the secretary-general is as strong as the member states make him or her — hopefully it will be her on the next occasion.
PassBlue: There have been a lot of advocates for a woman SG. What’s your personal view and Guyana’s position on having a woman secretary-general?
Rodrigues-Birkett: I think we need the best person for the job. And if we look at the hall of photographs of the former secretaries-general [at the UN], we see that there’s no estrogen there.
PassBlue: One major regional issue for Guyana is the dispute over the Essequibo region. Recently, amid reports of elections being organized by Venezuela over the disputed area, your military warned residents from participating in the vote. What is the situation?
Rodrigues-Birkett: Guyana believes in international law and that the settlement of any issue should be dealt with under the umbrella of international law. The UN secretary-general has referred the matter to the International Court of Justice, and we have said that we are going to abide by the decision of the ICJ. In our view, in 1899, there was an arbitral award that settled our boundary with Venezuela. Both countries accepted. Venezuela insisted that we demarcate that boundary as soon as possible, which was done. And the question for the ICJ is just whether that award is valid. So, we await what the ICJ will say about that. The second point that you raised on these planned elections by Venezuela, it would actually be a joke if it were not serious, because you’re talking about territory from another country. Guyana is in full control of our Essequibo region, and what we have said as it’s rightfully so, whether it’s a Guyanese or a Venezuelan living in our territory that participates in that election, for us, it would be treasonous.
PassBlue: Is Guyana open to exploring mineral agreements with the US to gain security protection in light of tensions with Venezuela? Considering the Essequibo region’s rich reserves of oil, gold and other minerals, could such a move be on the table if the situation escalates?
Rodrigues-Birkett: We have not had that kind of discussion, but let me say that the United States and Guyana have had strong relations for a very long time. The United States is our largest trading partner. It is home to our largest diaspora. Our Essequibo region is two-thirds of Guyana. So, the investments in Guyana form a long list of countries, but as a government, we will do everything we can to protect our territorial integrity and sovereignty.
PassBlue: We’ve reached my favorite part of the interview. This is the final presidency during Guyana’s two-year term on the Security Council. What has been the most memorable moment for you?
Rodrigues-Birkett: Perhaps the most exciting moment was when we got elected. We were oblivious to what awaited us in the Council. But I think that what I have found is that we all represent our national standpoints. One thing that I will take with me, and I know that we have six more months to go, is Guyana’s membership in the A3+ coalition and how we operated with the three African countries. Hopefully, the Council can come around on some of the issues that are pressing, Gaza, Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Congo and several others, but what would perhaps be the disappointment is that we were not able as a Council to make progress. But we will continue to push as an elected member.
