UN chief candidate wants to restore organization’s ‘credibility’

A United Nations flag flies at the United Nations Campus in Bonn, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, on July 31, 2025. The flag features the official UN emblem on a light blue background, representing peace and international co-operation. (Photo by Michael Nguyen/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

A candidate for UN secretary-general said Thursday that the United Nations must not “outsource” issues of peace and security, as she flagged a growing frustration towards the organization.

“Credibility has suffered over the years, mainly because in my view, the UN is judged through the peace and security lens. But the UN is much wider than that,” said Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, Guyana’s ambassador to the global body since 2020.

“On the one hand, we want to restore the institutional credibility, so we want to make sure we deliver better,” she added, also pointing to a need to address UN financial issues.

Rodrigues-Birkett, formerly Guyana’s foreign minister, defended the UN’s work across ocean protection, disease prevention, education access and humanitarian aid.

“While the full breadth of its achievements may not be widely recognized, its impact is clear across every region of the world,” she said.

There are five other candidates to replace outgoing UN chief Antonio Guterres on January 1, 2027: Chile’s Michelle Bachelet, Costa Rica’s Rebeca Grynspan, Ecuador’s Maria Fernanda Espinosa, Senegal’s Macky Sall and Argentina’s Rafael Grossi.

According to a tradition of geographic rotation that is not always observed, the post is being claimed this time by Latin America. Many states are also arguing that a woman should hold the position for the first time.

Members of the UN Security Council are to begin the selection process between July 24 and July 30, with the council’s five permanent members wielding veto power.