Lana Nusseibeh, the Political Deputy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the United Arab Emirates, has been nominated to succeed Antonio Guterres, the current UN Secretary-General. This announcement was recently made by Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the President of the UAE, in a letter to the Presidents of the General Assembly and the Security Council of the United Nations.
Lana Nusseibeh's Experience and Qualifications
Lana Nusseibeh, of Palestinian descent, has served as the UAE's ambassador to the United Nations for over a decade and has chaired the Security Council twice during her country's non-permanent membership. She has gained invaluable experiences in diplomacy and the resolution of international disputes during these terms. Nusseibeh has emphasized in a statement that she aims to revive the role of the United Nations as an institution for resolving conflicts through diplomacy in the current circumstances.
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Competitors and Election Challenges
Antonio Guterres's second five-year term will end on January 1 (the end of this calendar year), and given the importance of this position, seven other candidates are competing to succeed him, four of whom are women. Among these candidates are Michelle Bachelet from Chile, María Fernanda Espinosa from Ecuador, and Rafael Grossi from Argentina. Currently, Ms. Greenspan from Costa Rica is slightly leading in the preliminary voting for candidates.
Additionally, Rafael Grossi, the candidate for Secretary-General from Argentina, is the current Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency. The selection of the UN Secretary-General is a test for gauging the agreement of the major global powers, as it requires at least 9 votes from the 15 members of the Security Council and must be free from the opposition of any of the five permanent members of the Security Council, including the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Russia, and China.
The Importance of the UN Secretary-General
The UN Secretary-General is not only the head of this large organization and a body of hundreds of thousands of staff and peacekeepers but also a key figure in global diplomacy. As global crises are on the rise, selecting a capable and experienced Secretary-General is vital for maintaining the UN's role as a mediator in resolving global issues. This choice could have a profound impact on international diplomacy and global efforts for peace and security.
The United Nations was established after World War II and has had 9 Secretaries-General since then, all of whom have been men. If Lana Nusseibeh is elected as Secretary-General, she will be the first woman to hold this position and the second Secretary-General from the Middle East after Boutros Boutros-Ghali. This could be seen as a significant advancement in promoting the role of women in global politics.
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