Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett is recognized as both a history maker and a change maker. A strong advocate for women’s rights, she is dedicated to protecting Guyana’s Indigenous communities, advancing gender equality, and empowering women in diplomatic circles worldwide.
In 2001 she was appointed Minister of Amerindian Affairs and during her tenure Carolyn spearheaded the Amerindian Act. This act recognizes and protects the collective rights of Amerindian villages and communities, grants them land, and promotes good governance within these communities.
In 2008 she was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs. She made history as Guyana’s first indigenous minister with such responsibility and the first woman to hold the position.
She was appointed Director of the Food and Agriculture Organisation Liaison Office with the United Nations in August 2017. She became Guyana’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in 2020. This was another history making appointment as she was the first woman.
