{
  "id": 15050699,
  "title": "Rodrigues-Birkett, UN leadership hopeful: “Not choosing a woman would send a very negative message”",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/16/rodrigues-birkett-un-leadership-hopeful-not-choosing-a-woman-would",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-10-16T21:50:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "MercoPress",
    "slug": "mercopress",
    "url": "https://en.mercopress.com/2026/10/16/rodrigues-birkett-un-leadership-hopeful-not-choosing-a-woman-would-send-a-very-negative-message"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Guyana's ambassador to the UN, Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, has expressed concern that failing to appoint a woman as the next UN leader would send a \"very negative message\" to the world, according to an interview with El País. The 53-year-old, of Arawak Indigenous descent, stated that her candidacy is based on her abilities and competence, not her gender. As the former Guyanese foreign minister, she emphasized that the UN should lead by example in promoting gender equality. Rodrigues-Birkett called for adherence to the principle of rotation, which calls for a candidate from Latin America and the Caribbean at this stage. She also stressed that all new contenders should face the same level of scrutiny as the current candidates. Rodrigues-Birkett's standing dropped to third place in the most recent informal poll, which was published on October 7, after articles highlighted her criticism of Israel over the Gaza war. Her poll results showed 5 encourage, 9 discourage, and 1 no opinion. To be recommended to the General Assembly, a candidate must receive at least nine votes in favor and have no opposition from a permanent member state. Seven candidates are still in the running, with four of them being from Latin American countries. Historically, there has never been a woman at the helm of the UN, which has been in existence for over 80 years.",
  "summary": "Guyana’s ambassador to the UN, Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, one of the best-placed candidates to succeed António Guterres at the head of the organisation, has warned that not choosing a woman “would send a very negative message to the world”, in an interview with the newspaper El País published on the day the Security Council holds its first informal colour-coded straw poll, which reveals whether…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}