The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has officially nominated its senior Diplomat, Lana Nusseibeh, as the next United Nations Secretary-General (UNSG), adding a new contender to an increasingly deadlocked race to succeed António Guterres.
Her late entry follows six rounds of informal voting in the Security Council, where none of the leading candidates secured backing from all five permanent members with veto power.
Nusseibeh is a former UAE ambassador to the UN and currently serves as a Minister of State in her country.
She represented the Middle Eastern country at the world body for more than a decade, including during its term on the Security Council.
Nusseibeh’s candidacy follows six straw polls that have failed to produce consensus among the five veto-wielding powers.
Her nomination could face scrutiny over allegations that the UAE has provided military support to Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), accused of widespread atrocities.
Abu Dhabi denies arming the group.
Nusseibeh enters a race marked by geopolitical divisions and growing calls for the UN to appoint its first female Secretary-General, but would upend efforts for the next UN chief to come from Latin America or the Caribbean.
–SABC–
