Peacekeeping must be backed by political solutions – Guyana’s nominee for UN Secretary General

Guyana’s nominee for the post of United Nations Secretary-General Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett on Thursday said peacekeeping must be supported by a political solution.

“Whether we’re doing a traditional peacekeeping, a certain type of enforcement operation, it must be a means to an end, a means to a political solution, giving a space for a political solution to move forward,” she told the interactive dialogue with member states.

Ms Rodrigues-Birkett had also led Guyana’s recent membership of the UN Security Council.

In response to a question from the Dominican Republic, she said member states would have to consider several proposed models, and the challenge would be to ensure there is the “high standards” of the UN in any of them.

The Dominican Republic borders Haiti where several UN peacekeeping missions had been deployed over the decades.

A UN Security Council-backed 5,500 Gang Suppression Force is being deployed to Haiti.

Ms Rodrigues-Birkett, a former foreign minister and currently Guyana’s Permanent Representative to the UN, said if she gets the nod for UN Chief to succeed incumbent Antonio Guterres at the end of December, 2026, she would explore those options.

She also highlighted her vision for human rights and floated the idea of payment plans for UN member states’s outstanding dues.

A former director at the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), she pledged to ensure balanced recruitment of staff.