Emirati diplomat who helped deliver aid to Gaza enters UN secretary general race

A late entry to the contest

Nusseibeh entered the secretary general race as a late contender, saying the Security Council appeared close to deadlock among the six remaining candidates. After six rounds of voting, the latest on 16 October, none had established a clear lead.

Guterres is due to leave office at the end of the year. Nusseibeh was born in Abu Dhabi in 1978 and studied at Cambridge University. Her father, Zaki, moved to Abu Dhabi after the 1967 Arab-Israeli war made it difficult for him to return to Jerusalem, where he was born.

Questions over regional support

The grouping of Latin American and Caribbean states known as CELAC sent an objection to the Security Council. It said her late entry came as consensus was emerging behind a candidate from its region.

The article also describes Grynspan as facing objections from two unidentified permanent Security Council members. It says she has support from nine members and objections from five, making it harder for her to present herself as a consensus candidate.

Praise for her Gaza work

Nusseibeh’s work helping secure humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza has earned support from Brett McGurk, a former senior national security adviser in the Biden administration. Nickolay Mladenov, a Bulgarian diplomat who heads Donald Trump’s Gaza Board of Peace, said Nusseibeh had understood that the UN works when someone builds bridges others avoid. In her vision statement, Nusseibeh described the UN as resting on the idea that states accept short-term costs for shared gains over time.

Criticism over Sudan and rights

Kenneth Roth, former executive director of Human Rights Watch, has strongly challenged her candidacy over her denials that the UAE provided military, logistical, financial or political support to any faction in Sudan. The UAE says it backs the formation of a civilian-led government there.