UN Leadership Race Stays in Five-Power Veto Grip

Lana Nusseibeh entered the race to lead the United Nations on Wednesday, October 21, as the Security Council struggled to agree on a successor to António Guterres. The next secretary-general won’t be chosen by a public vote: a candidate needs at least nine votes on the 15-member council and no opposition from any of its five permanent members.

The United States, China, Russia, France and the United Kingdom can each block a candidate. Informal voting has revealed resistance, but no contender has secured the agreement required to move forward. Governments still negotiate behind the machinery of appointment for the institution’s top job.

Five governments hold the gate

Nusseibeh, a 48-year-old UAE minister of state and former ambassador to the United Nations, announced her candidacy after saying several countries encouraged her during recent UN General Assembly meetings. She has taken leave from her government position to pursue the job. No Security Council member has been reported to back her, and no voting results for her candidacy have been reported.

She has called for a United Nations that plays a more active role in resolving international conflicts instead of simply responding to them. Nusseibeh served as her country's ambassador to the United Nations from 2013 until 2024 and has extensive experience working with the Security Council. In December 2023, she helped negotiate a resolution intended to increase humanitarian aid entering Gaza.

The contest also carries competing regional and gender claims. Latin American countries argue their region should provide the next secretary-general, while a growing push seeks a woman to lead the organization for the first time. Nusseibeh would answer that call for a female secretary-general, but she would represent the Middle East rather than Latin America.

Votes signal resistance, not a decision

Rebeca Grynspan, a former Costa Rican vice president, led the informal voting. In the October 16 vote, she received nine votes in favor, five against and one expressing no opinion. Two opposing votes came from permanent Security Council members, whose countries weren’t officially identified. The ballots weren’t actual vetoes, but they showed resistance from two governments with the power to block an appointment.

Argentina's Rafael Grossi and Guyana's Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett each received eight supporting votes. No candidate secured the agreement needed to move forward. The council discussed whether to hold another informal vote on Friday or postpone it while negotiations continued; no date for the next round had been confirmed.

Costa Rica's President Laura Fernández met Grynspan at Casa Presidencial on Monday, reaffirmed her government's support and announced plans to contact other Latin American leaders for additional backing. Grynspan said her campaign remained active and noted that the council hadn’t held a formal vote, leaving countries free to change their positions.

Reform proposals, same appointment machinery

Grynspan, a Costa Rican economist who previously headed the UN Conference on Trade and Development, has proposed making the organization more efficient, reducing overlapping responsibilities and strengthening its ability to respond to international crises. She served as Costa Rica's vice president from 1994 to 1998. If selected, she’d become the first Costa Rican and the first woman to lead the United Nations.

Those proposed changes concern the organization’s work, but the Security Council still controls the selection process before the UN General Assembly acts. Once the council agrees on a candidate, the General Assembly must formally appoint the new secretary-general. With fewer than three months remaining before Guterres leaves office, the council still hadn’t agreed who should lead the United Nations beginning January 1, 2027. Grynspan retained the most support recorded in the latest informal vote. Nusseibeh’s entry gives governments another candidate to consider, while the five permanent members keep their veto power.