FRIDAY, JUNE 06, 2025
After seeing UNSC at work, Guyana 'even more motivated to advocate' for reform
Published on Jun 3, 2025
By IANS
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- UNITED NATIONS — Having watched the Security Council at work from the inside, Guyana's Permanent Representative to the UN, Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, has said her country is "even more motivated to advocate" for its reform.
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- Rodrigues-Birkett, who took over as the President of the Council for June, speaking in her national capacity said on Monday, that Guyana supports adding more permanent and non-permanent members to it.
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- "The Security Council is the only organ of the United Nations that is not representative of the membership of the United Nations, undemocratic as well," she said at a news conference.
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- Developing countries that make up a large proportion of the UN membership are not adequately represented on the Council, she added.
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- "Given that we've been on the Council for these last several months, we are even more motivated to advocate for Security Council reform," she said.
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- The leader of the Indian Parliamentary delegation that visited Guyana last week, Shashi Tharoor, said that India will formally ask for Guyana's support for a permanent seat.
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- Guyana advocates for the CARICOM model of reform that calls for expanding both permanent and non-permanent categories of membership, Rodrigues-Birkett said.
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- The 15-member CARICOM, which is a regional organisation of Caribbean countries, has proposed adding permanent and non-permanent members each from Asia, Africa, and Latin America and the Caribbean; adding a permanent member from Western Europe, a non-permanent member from Eastern Europe, with a non-permanent seat reserved for a small island developing state.
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- That format would allow for India to lay claim to a permanent seat.
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- The Caricom backs the African Union's demand for two permanent and two non-permanent seats for the continent, Rodrigues-Birkett said.
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- She added that Guyana wants to abolish the veto rights of permanent members, which often brings the Council to a standstill.
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- But if it is retained, the new permanent members should also have that right, she said.
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- The South American country of Guyana took control of the rotational presidency of the UN Security Council from Greece on Monday for the month of June.
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- Rodrigues-Birkett said at the news conference that the focus will be on the protection of children in armed conflict, conflict prevention as well as peace and security.
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- She added that the "signature event" is to be held June 19 and "will take the form of a high-level open debate on poverty, underdevelopment and conflict: implications for the maintenance of international peace and security".
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