UAE’s Lana Nusseibeh emerges as contender for UN secretary-general; Grynspan leads straw polls
Rebeca Grynspan won nine “encourage” votes in last week’s Security Council straw poll but also received two “disapprovals” from veto-wielding members. IAEA Chief Rafael Grossi also received two
A senior Emirati official is emerging as a contender to become the next UN secretary-general, according to an exclusive Financial Times report, adding a new twist to a succession race already tangled in geopolitical infighting.
Supporters of Lana Nusseibeh, a minister of state at the UAE’s foreign ministry, have been 'testing the waters' at the UN to gauge her candidacy, diplomats said. UN insiders anticipate she could enter the race as early as this week.
Nusseibeh is well known at the world body, where she served as the UAE’s ambassador from 2013 to 2024.
The leading official candidates have spent six months in public events at the UN and around the world, and are still battling to win over all five permanent members of the Security Council, each of which can veto the choice of a successor.
Frontrunner Rebeca Grynspan, a former Costa Rican vice-president who heads the UN trade and development body, won nine “encourage” votes in the latest Security Council straw poll last week, enough to secure the post in a final vote. She also received two “disapprovals” from veto-wielding members.
Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency and the second-ranked candidate, also received two.
The near deadlock is encouraging new candidates to consider entering the race at this late stage, according to people familiar with the contest. Diplomats said Nusseibeh is the most high-profile of them, and probably the most controversial.
For over a decade, the polished diplomat articulated the UAE’s policies and defended its record as the country took on an increasingly assertive role in world affairs as an investor and geopolitical actor. The UAE has a close relationship with the Trump administration, but Nusseibeh could face a stiff challenge in distancing herself from controversy over the UAE’s interventions in its region and beyond.
The UAE has faced intense criticism over Sudan, where it has backed the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, though Abu Dhabi denies arming any of the warring factions.
A key question is whether Saudi Arabia, the dominant Gulf power, would oppose her candidacy. Some regional analysts think Riyadh is unlikely to object as the kingdom, under fire from Iran-backed Houthi rebels, attempts to mend a rift with Abu Dhabi over their disagreements in Yemen.