Carolyn Rodrigues
Guyanese politician (born 1973)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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.
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Donald Ramotar
Carolyn Rodrigues | |
|---|---|
Rodrigues in 2015 | |
| Permanent Representative of Guyana to the United Nations | |
| Assumed office 2 October 2020 | |
| President | Irfaan Ali |
| Preceded by | Rudolph Michael Ten-Pow |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
| In office 10 April 2008 – 16 May 2015 | |
| President | Bharrat Jagdeo Donald Ramotar |
| Preceded by | Rudy Insanally |
| Succeeded by | Carl Barrington Greenidge |
| Minister of Amerindian Affairs | |
| In office April 2001 – 4 January 2008 | |
| President | Bharrat Jardel |
| Preceded by | Vilbert De Souza |
| Succeeded by | Pauline Campbell-Sukhai |
| Member of the National Assembly | |
| In office 2001–2015 | |
| Constituency | National Top-Up |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 16 September 1973 |
| Party | PPP/C |
| Spouse | Roland Birkett |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | University of Regina University of Guyana |
| Occupation |
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Early life and education
Rodrigues was born on 16 September 1973[1] to an Arawak Amerindian[2] 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[1] and later received a scholarship for Amerindians[2] that enabled her to study business administration at the University of Regina in Canada.[3]
Career
Early career
Rodrigues returned to Guyana in 1993[1] and began working for a lumber company. Under the terms of her scholarship, she was required to work for Amerindian communities, and found employment with the Inter-American Development Bank's social impact amelioration programme, despite a 65% decrease in salary.[2] She coordinated an Amerindian projects programme until 2001, when she enrolled at the University of Guyana to study social work.[1]
Politics
In April 2001 Rodrigues was appointed to the Cabinet as Minister of Amerindian Affairs, and was reappointed to the role following the 2006 general election,[4] serving until January 2008.[5] In April of that year she became Minister of Foreign Affairs,[6][7] 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[8]
International career
In August 2017 Rodrigues was appointed Director of the Food and Agriculture Organization's liaison office with the United Nations in Geneva,[9] serving in that role until 2020 when she became her country's Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York.[10]
On 15 June 2026, the Guyanese government nominated Rodrigues as a candidate in the 2026 United Nations Secretary-General selection.[11][12][13][14]