Rights groups call to block UAE diplomat Lana Nusseibeh from UN chief race
Critics cite the nation’s support for Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces and a $6.4 billion trade deal with Washington.
By Yasmin Nasser ·
Rights organizations on Tuesday urged United Nations member states to reject the candidacy of Lana Nusseibeh, arguing her ties to the United Arab Emirates make her unfit to serve as secretary general. Nusseibeh, currently the UAE minister of state for foreign affairs, was formally nominated last week to succeed Antonio Guterres. Her entry added a new candidate to a race that had previously stalled without a clear frontrunner.
The opposition centers on Abu Dhabi’s role in the civil war in Sudan. Critics note that the UAE has supported the Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary group accused of genocide. The United States government officially determined in February 2025 that the RSF committed genocide. Washington subsequently sanctioned seven companies backing the group, many of which are based in or linked to the UAE.
Kenneth Roth, former executive director of Human Rights Watch, spoke against the nomination during a virtual panel on Tuesday. He stated that the UN cannot be led by a government that aids and abets genocide. "We cannot afford to have the UN led by somebody who is a genocide denier, and indeed somebody who heads a government that has been aiding and abetting genocide," Roth said.
Kate Ferguson, co-executive director of the UK non-profit Protection Approaches, described the bid as an autocratic capture of the institution. She argued that the candidacy represents a calculated effort to seize and asset-strip the United Nations, backed by the United States. Ferguson noted that none of the global population would be safer under a captured UN leadership.
Ibrahim Alduma, co-founder of Sudan Action Hub, highlighted the financial and technological ties between Washington and Abu Dhabi. He pointed to a $6.4 billion international trade agreement struck after the US sanctions on RSF backers. Alduma also referenced the UAE’s receipt of over $2 billion in US military deliveries since January 2025, according to the Center for International Policy.
Nathaniel Raymond, executive director of the Humanitarian Research Lab at Yale, detailed how technical support from the UAE enabled the RSF to capture El Fasher. His team tracked the use of reconnaissance drones and electronic jamming that blocked civilian communications during the takeover. Raymond noted that the RSF’s rapid upgrade to advanced weaponry, including AH4 howitzers, suggests direct supply from the UAE.
The race now moves to the Security Council, where votes will determine the next secretary general. The UN has never had a woman lead its top post. Nusseibeh, a member of a prominent Jerusalemite family, faces a contested path as member states weigh diplomatic alliances against human rights concerns.
Next steps include formal consultations in the Security Council, where regional groups will attempt to reach a consensus before the full vote is scheduled.
