The United Arab Emirates has nominated Lana Nusseibeh, an Emirati diplomat who served as the country’s UN representative until 2024, to become the next United Nations secretary general. The nomination comes as outgoing Secretary General António Guterres concludes his second term this year, introducing a new candidate into a race that had previously stalled.
Opposition to the candidacy has emerged from multiple quarters, particularly from members of the Sudanese diaspora and international human rights organizations. These groups have raised concerns about Nusseibeh’s record of consistently denying allegations that the UAE has provided military support to the Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary group engaged in conflict with the Sudanese armed forces. Human rights monitors and advocacy organizations have documented what they describe as evidence of UAE backing for the RSF, which has faced accusations of committing mass atrocities during the ongoing conflict, including an attack on El Fasher in October 2025 that UN officials characterized as possessing “hallmarks of genocide.”
Prominents critics, including representatives from Sudan Action Hub, Avaaz, and Human Rights Watch, contend that Nusseibeh lacks independence from her government’s foreign policy decisions regarding Sudan. They argue that her appointment would undermine the UN’s credibility with populations affected by the conflict and compromise the organization’s capacity to pursue accountability for alleged war crimes. Some observers have characterized the nomination as representing an inappropriate influence of state interests over multilateral institutions.
In response to the criticism, Nusseibeh stated that she would support UN fact-finding missions and accountability mechanisms related to the Sudan conflict if elected to the secretary general position. She described the RSF’s alleged crimes as “atrocious” and indicated she had taken a leave of absence from her UAE ministerial role to maintain the independence standards expected of a UN leader.
Selection of the next UN secretary general requires approval from at least nine of the fifteen Security Council members, with no vetoes from the permanent members: the United States, United Kingdom, China, France, or Russia. Recent informal polling indicated that former Costa Rican Vice President Rebeca Grynspan held a narrow lead among candidates, though all nominees received multiple opposing votes from permanent council members.
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