UNITED NATIONS: The UAE nominated its foreign ministry official Lana Nusseibeh on Wednesday to run in the contest to lead the UN as none of the six existing candidates has emerged as a clear front-runner.

Lana Nusseibeh is a well-regarded minister of state at the United Arab Emirates foreign ministry, having previously represented Abu Dhabi at the UN.

“I am standing to be Secretary General because I believe this is a moment to act with greater urgency: to act earlier, bring people together across difference, and drive the work forward until it produces concrete results,” she said in a statement.

In the latest informal straw poll held last week to gauge which candidates have a shot of becoming the next UN secretary general, every contender received an effective veto.

Five of the 15 members of the UN Security Council wield veto power and can shut down any candidate that is unacceptable to them, which happened last week when all seven candidates received two vetoes.

Published in Dawn, October 22nd, 2026