UAE Nominates Lana Nusseibeh for UN Secretary-General
Lana Nusseibeh entered the race for UN Secretary-General on October 21 to break a deadlock among Security Council permanent members.
UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Lana Nusseibeh officially entered the race for United Nations Secretary-General on October 21, 2026. Nominated by UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Nusseibeh is seeking to succeed António Guterres, whose second term expires on December 31, 2026.
Nusseibeh enters the contest as a late candidate following a deadlock in the Security Council's October 16 straw poll, where all seven existing candidates received at least two vetoes from the five permanent members. While tradition suggests the role should rotate to a candidate from Latin America, Nusseibeh's bid aims to break the impasse. Current front-runners include Rebeca Grynspan of Costa Rica, who received nine encourage votes in recent polls, as well as Rafael Grossi of Argentina and Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett of Guyana.
Campaigning on a platform of quiet diplomacy and organizational reform, Nusseibeh has taken leave from her government post to focus on the campaign and Sudan's humanitarian crisis. If elected, she would be the first woman and the first Gulf Arab to lead the organization. Her candidacy may face scrutiny over allegations of UAE military support for the Rapid Support Forces in Sudan, which Abu Dhabi denies.
