UAE diplomat running for UN chief faces questions over her country's support for Sudan rebels

JERUSALEM (AP) — A female diplomat from the United Arab Emirates is the newest contender for the role of United Nations secretary-general.Lana Nusseibeh brings Palestinian roots and defense of the UAE’s historic relations with Israel to her candidacy, but she faces sharp criticism over her country's alleged role in backing paramilitary fighters who have killed thousands in Sudan’s civil war. The Gulf nation has denied the claims.Nusseibeh, who has a master’s in Israeli and Jewish Diaspora Studies, declared her candidacy this week in a race that had largely stalled. No woman has ever led the world body throughout its 80 years of existence.Any leader succeeding Antonio Guterres in January would inherit a U.N.

weakened by harsh criticism and steep funding cuts by the Trump administration. The U.N.’s role has perhaps never been more questioned as global powers create alternative bodies of influence, wars rage, hunger grows and epidemics like Ebola pose fresh challenges every day.She will face questions from U.N. General Assembly members as part of the candidacy process on Tuesday.Nusseibeh has been outspoken on aid to GazaNusseibeh, who was nominated this week by the UAE government and has taken a leave of absence from the foreign ministry, spent over a decade as her country’s ambassador to the U.N., from 2013 to 2024.

She has been outspoken on issues including aid for Palestinians in Gaza, the historic Abraham Accord with Israel in 2020 and the role of women on the international stage.A request for an interview brought no immediate response Friday. Already, the six state members of the Gulf Cooperation Council, which also includes Saudi Arabia and Qatar, have unanimously backed her.“I will bring greater urgency to the work for peace,” Nusseibeh’s statement declaring her candidacy says. “I believe deeply in this institution because of where I come from.

People in my region see what diplomacy and collective action can achieve. And they feel the consequences when it fails.”Nusseibeh, born in 1978, wants to “rebuild trust” in the U.N. and says it should use “quiet diplomacy” to keep disputes from escalating.

She also addresses a booming global issue, artificial intelligence, saying the U.N. should build “practical international cooperation before divisions harden, including voluntary incident reporting.”Nusseibeh, whose uncle Sari Nusseibeh is a well-known Palesti… Lana Nusseibeh brings Palestinian roots and defense of the UAE’s historic relations with Israel to her candidacy, but she faces sharp criticism over her country’s alleged role in backing paramilitary fighters who have killed thousands in Sudan’s civil war.

The Gulf nation has denied the claims. Nusseibeh, who has a master’s in Israeli and Jewish Diaspora Studies, declared her candidacy this week in a race that had largely stalled. Any leader succeeding Antonio Guterres in January would inherit a U.N.