Carolyn Rodrigues

Carolyn Allison Rodrigues-Birkett (born 16 September 1973) is a Guyanese politician and former foreign minister who has served as her country's Permanent Representative to the United Nations since 2020.

Early life and education Rodrigues was born on 16 September 1973 to an Arawak Amerindian family in Santa Rosa in the Barima-Waini region of Guyana. After growing up in a home without running water or electricity, studying with the help of an oil lamp, she attended a private school in Georgetown

Career Early career Rodrigues returned to Guyana in 1993 serving until January 2008. In April of that year she became Minister of Foreign Affairs, serving until the People's Progressive Party lost the general election in May 2015. She was subsequently offered a place on the party's parliamentary list, but declined to take a seat in the National Assembly

International career In August 2017 Rodrigues was appointed Director of the Food and Agriculture Organization's liaison office with the United Nations in Geneva, serving in that role until 2020 when she became her country's Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York.

On 15 June 2026, the Guyanese government nominated Rodrigues as a candidate in the 2026 United Nations Secretary-General selection.