Competition for Grossi as UAE nominates top official to lead United Nations

Lana Nusseibeh is a well-regarded minister of state at the United Arab Emirates Foreign Ministry. She previously represented Abu Dhabi at the United Nations. The UAE has now nominated her to compete for the UN’s top job, which becomes vacant when António Guterres finishes his second term on December 31, 2026.

Her nomination means the UAE is formally backing her in the international selection process. Nusseibeh said she wants to act earlier, bring people together across differences, and push work toward concrete results. She is one of the candidates seeking support from the 15-member Security Council.

The contest is difficult because a candidate needs at least nine Security Council votes and must avoid a veto from any of the five permanent powers. Nusseibeh’s candidacy also adds a UAE voice to a field shaped by regional expectations. Tradition says the position should rotate between regions, and this time that favors Latin America, although the UAE has entered its own candidate.

The UN Secretary-General is the United Nations’ top official. The office leads the organization’s overall work and represents it publicly. It also helps governments communicate, negotiate, and pursue common international goals. The source does not provide a detailed job description, but it presents the role as responsible for driving the UN’s work toward concrete results.

The selection is not a direct vote by all UN members. Candidates first compete for support in the 15-member Security Council. They need at least nine votes, while also avoiding opposition from any of the five permanent powers, which can veto a candidate. The successful name then goes to the General Assembly for confirmation.

António Guterres currently holds the office and will finish his second five-year term on December 31, 2026. The next Secretary-General will therefore inherit a highly competitive selection process. The candidates must build broad support while remaining acceptable to the Security Council’s divided major powers.

The current contest has seven candidates from six countries. The candidates are Lana Nusseibeh of the UAE, Costa Rica’s Rebeca Grynspan, Guyana’s Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, Argentina’s Rafael Grossi, Ecuador’s Ivonne A-Baki and Maria Fernanda Espinosa, and Uganda’s Olara Otunnu. Ecuador is the only country with two candidates in the field.

The figure changed after the latest informal Security Council straw poll. Seven candidates took part, and every one received at least two vetoes. Macky Sall of Senegal then dropped out. His departure left six candidates before Nusseibeh’s nomination brought the current field to seven.

The number of countries matters because the contest is shaped by regional representation as well as individual qualifications. UN tradition says the top job should rotate between regions. The article says that principle favors a Latin American candidate this time, even though contenders from Africa and the UAE remain in the race.

Nine votes are necessary, but they are not sufficient. A candidate must also avoid a veto from any of the five permanent members of the Security Council. Those major powers can shut down a candidacy even when the candidate has won the required majority among all 15 council members.

The article’s latest straw poll shows how this works. Every one of the seven candidates received at least two vetoes, meaning each faced opposition strong enough to block them under the council’s rules. Macky Sall of Senegal subsequently withdrew from the contest. A poll label is informal, but it reveals whether a candidate may be acceptable to the council’s most powerful members.

This two-part hurdle makes the selection especially difficult because the major powers are deeply divided. A candidate must gather broad support while avoiding unacceptable opposition. If someone clears both tests, the Security Council sends the name to the General Assembly, where all UN members confirm the choice.

The Security Council straw poll is an informal way to measure support for Secretary-General candidates. Each of the 15 council members secretly marks every candidate as “encourage,” “discourage,” or “no opinion.” It does not formally select the Secretary-General, but it shows which candidates may have enough backing and which may face resistance.

The mechanism was created in the early 1980s. It aimed to break a deadlock between two candidates who had been blocked by vetoes. The process has continued in different forms, even though some countries criticize it as opaque. Its value is that council members can signal their views before a formal decision.

The latest poll showed the mechanism’s importance. All seven candidates received at least two vetoes, and Senegal’s Macky Sall later withdrew. The poll therefore helps narrow the field and identify unacceptable candidates early. However, it remains informal and does not remove the permanent powers’ ability to veto the eventual choice.

Rafael Grossi is prominent because he currently heads the UN nuclear watchdog, according to the article. He is Argentina’s candidate for Secretary-General and remains in the race alongside Rebeca Grynspan, Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, Ivonne A-Baki, Maria Fernanda Espinosa, Olara Otunnu, and Lana Nusseibeh.

The International Atomic Energy Agency, or IAEA, is the international organization that promotes the peaceful use of nuclear energy and helps monitor nuclear activities. In the article’s wording, it is the UN nuclear watchdog. Grossi’s leadership there gives him a high-profile international role before the Security Council considers the candidates.

His prominence does not guarantee success. Like every contender, he must win at least nine of the Security Council’s 15 votes and avoid a veto from any of the five permanent powers. The latest informal poll gave every candidate at least two vetoes, showing that even well-known figures face serious obstacles.

The UN traditionally rotates its top leadership among different regions. This practice is meant to give different parts of the world a turn at leading the organization and to support a sense of regional balance. The article presents it as a tradition rather than a formal rule written into the selection procedure.

Under that premise, the next Secretary-General should come from Latin America. The current field includes three Latin American candidates: Costa Rica’s Rebeca Grynspan, Guyana’s Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, and Argentina’s Rafael Grossi. Ecuador also has two candidates, Ivonne A-Baki and Maria Fernanda Espinosa. Their regional connection gives Latin America a strong presence.

The tradition does not decide the contest by itself. Every candidate still needs at least nine Security Council votes and must avoid a veto from one of the five permanent powers. The council’s major powers are deeply divided, so regional favor may help Latin American candidates but cannot guarantee that any one of them will be selected.