Diplomatic sources in New York told The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday that they expect an official announcement soon that the United Arab Emirates has put forward Ambassador Lana Nusseibeh as a candidate for the next United Nations secretary-general.
Nusseibeh, an Emirati diplomat serving as the assistant minister for political affairs in the UAE Foreign Ministry, has previously served as the UAE permanent representative to the United Nations for over a decade.
She also served as council president on the UN Security Council from 2022 to 2023.
The upcoming selection will determine who will replace the incumbent Antonio Guterres as the 10th UN secretary-general. Guterres will complete his second five-year term on December 31.
Her potential entry comes amid months of intense diplomatic positioning as regional blocs vie for the UN’s top post.
Steep competition for UAE candidate
Six official candidates are currently active, with Nusseibeh as a likely seventh.
So far, former vice president of Costa Rica Rebeca Grynspan, who currently heads the UN Trade and Development body, has led in straw polls for the next UN secretary-general.
IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi of Argentina is another prominent candidate for UN secretary-general. He advocates for a more practical, streamlined, and results-focused UN, and draws significant backing in informal polling.
Carolyn Rorigues-Brikett, Guyana's permanent representative to the UN, is another serious contender. She has extensive experience as Guyana's foreign affairs minister and in climate advocacy, sustainable development, and developing-states diplomacy.
Customarily, the UN selects the secretary-general on the basis of regional rotation, and it is Latin America's turn for the position. Currently, five of six candidates hail from Latin America or the Caribbean.
Nusseibeh's appointment would run counter to the established norm, but she is not disqualified from the position.