The United Arab Emirates has formally nominated Lana Nusseibeh to succeed António Guterres as the next United Nations secretary-general, according to a report from the state-owned Emirates News Agency. President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan submitted the nomination required by the international body's selection process, pointing to Nusseibeh's extensive institutional background and her approach to handling global diplomatic crises.
Nusseibeh, who serves as a minister of state in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and previously spent over a decade as her country’s first female ambassador to the UN, enters a crowded race as the seventh official candidate. Her late entry reshapes a contest that was widely anticipated to favor a candidate from the Latin America-Caribbean region. While the General Assembly’s presiding office could not immediately confirm receipt of the paperwork due to travel, public relations firm Teneo confirmed the submission in an email to FRANCE 24 and PassBlue, attaching a formal vision statement from the candidate.
The current term held by Guterres concludes on December 31, 2026, leaving member states a fixed window to settle on a successor.
Diplomatic Standing and Security Council Dynamics
Born in 1978, Nusseibeh arrives in the contest with deep familiarity among international delegations, having represented the UAE in New York from 2013 to 2024 and maintained close diplomatic channels with the United States. UN insiders suggest her late entry implies she has already tested the waters with the five permanent members of the Security Council—Britain, China, France, Russia, and the United States—whose unanimous consent or lack of a veto is required for any candidate to advance.
“Her rollout has been pretty slick, and UN insiders assume that she will have squared away the veto powers before going public. It feels like it may be a coronation,” Richard Gowan of the International Crisis Group told FRANCE 24 and PassBlue.
Her candidacy also introduces a complex geopolitical footprint. Human Rights Watch’s recent assessments detail severe domestic restrictions on expression and assembly within the UAE, while conflict monitors have raised sharp objections regarding Abu Dhabi’s foreign policy. Nathaniel Raymond warned that her candidacy presents a conflict of interest regarding the United Nations and the UAE due to the Emirates’ role in Sudan. UN independent panels and Amnesty International have previously accused the UAE of supplying arms that breached the Darfur embargo, allegations that the Emirati government has consistently denied.
Conversely, supporters point to her tenure on the Security Council between 2022 and 2023, where she advocated for humanitarian access to Gaza, and cite the UAE’s role as a major provider of aid to the territory. Former Biden administration national security adviser Brett McGurk praised her capability on social media, describing her as an effective operator who maintains wide international networks.
Straw Polls Expose P5 Divisions
Nusseibeh joins a field that has seen notable shifts in recent months. Michelle Bachelet, the former Chilean president, withdrew from consideration in late September following U.S. criticism regarding her human rights advocacy. Meanwhile, other contenders—including Guyana’s Carolyn Rodrigues Birkett, Costa Rica’s Rebeca Grynspan, and Argentina’s Rafael Mariano Grossi—have gone through successive straw polls that have exposed divisions among the P5 permanent members, each drawing veto-indicative "discourage" votes in the October 16 ballot.
A planned straw poll originally slated for October was postponed to accommodate the UAE’s submission. Diplomats now anticipate that Nusseibeh will participate in an interactive dialogue before the General Assembly prior to the next round of voting by the Security Council.
