UAE UN Secretary-General Candidate Finishes Fourth in Security Council Vote

Lana Nusseibeh, the United Arab Emirates' candidate to lead the United Nations, finished fourth in an informal Security Council straw poll held on Friday. The vote took place as the council works to select a successor to Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, whose second term concludes on December 31.

Nusseibeh received seven encourage votes, six discourage votes, and two no opinion votes from the fifteen council members. Because members cast ballots on plain paper, diplomats cannot identify which permanent members voted against her. A candidate needs at least nine favorable votes to reach the General Assembly and must avoid a veto from any of the five permanent members.

The UAE nominated Nusseibeh on October 21. She has served the UAE's UN mission for the last decade. Middle East Eye previously reported that Britain was leaning toward backing her candidacy. However, human rights organizations and civil society groups have criticized her entry due to her background in the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Critics note that Nusseibeh previously defended Abu Dhabi against UN panel reports. Those reports implicated the Gulf state in supplying arms and supporting the Rapid Support Forces in Sudan. The Sudanese permanent mission to the UN expressed doubts about her impartiality and credibility.

The mission stated that Nusseibeh built her career defending her country's record in Sudan, where it alleged she enabled genocide and other atrocities. The office argued that the UAE must face accountability rather than receive the top global leadership role. UN experts and international rights groups have also accused the Rapid Support Forces of widespread atrocities against civilians.

Costa Rican candidate Rebeca Grynspan leads the field with eleven encouraging votes. Latin American and Caribbean states back her, asserting it is their region's turn to hold the post under the UN's traditional rotation system. Feridun Sinirlioglu, a former Turkish envoy to the UN and current head of the OSCE, officially entered the race hours after Friday's vote. His nomination brings the total number of official candidates to seven.