UN Chief Race Stalls as UAE's Nusseibeh Challenges Grynspan

Fewer than three months before António Guterres leaves office, the United Nations still can’t say who will run it. On Wednesday, October 21, the field grew more crowded. Lana Nusseibeh, a 48-year-old UAE minister of state and former ambassador to the UN, announced she’s running for secretary-general, adding a rival for Costa Rica’s Rebeca Grynspan as the Security Council struggles to agree on a successor. Guterres’ term ends December 31.

A Stalled Selection

The numbers show a council that can’t close a deal. In the informal vote on October 16, Grynspan, a former Costa Rican vice president, led the pack with nine votes in favor, five against and one expressing no opinion. That’s enough to top the field. It isn’t enough to win. Two of the five countries with power to block an appointment signaled opposition to her, and two opposing ballots came from permanent Security Council members whose countries weren’t officially identified.

Her closest competitors, Argentina’s Rafael Grossi and Guyana’s Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, each received eight supporting votes. None secured the agreement needed to move forward.

The rules are unforgiving. A candidate needs at least nine votes from the 15-member council and no opposition from any of the five permanent members: the United States, China, Russia, France and the United Kingdom. Each can block a candidate. The October 16 vote was informal, so those opposing ballots weren’t actual vetoes. They did, however, show resistance from two powerful governments.

Nusseibeh Enters the Field

Nusseibeh served as her country’s ambassador to the United Nations from 2013 until 2024 and has extensive experience working with the Security Council. She helped negotiate a resolution in December 2023 intended to increase humanitarian aid entering Gaza. She said several countries encouraged her to consider running during recent UN General Assembly meetings, and she’s taken leave from her government position to pursue the job.

Her pitch calls for a more active institution. She wants the United Nations to take a larger role in resolving international conflicts, rather than simply responding to them. No Security Council member has been reported to back her, and no voting results for her candidacy have been reported.

Her entry also complicates the contest’s politics. Latin American countries have argued their region should supply the next secretary-general, while a growing push calls for a woman to lead the organization for the first time. Nusseibeh would meet the second call but represent the Middle East, not Latin America.

Grynspan Digs In

Costa Rica’s government isn’t backing off. President Laura Fernández met with Grynspan at Casa Presidencial on Monday, reaffirmed the government’s support and announced plans to contact other Latin American leaders to seek more backing. Grynspan said her campaign remained active despite the opposition revealed in last week’s vote. She stressed that the Security Council hadn’t held a formal vote and that countries could still change their positions.

She’s running on a reform message. A Costa Rican economist who previously headed the UN Conference on Trade and Development, Grynspan has proposed changes to make the organization more efficient, reduce overlapping responsibilities and strengthen its ability to respond to international crises. She served as Costa Rica’s vice president from 1994 to 1998 and has spent much of her career since then in international diplomacy. If selected, she’d become the first Costa Rican and the first woman to lead the United Nations.

What Comes Next

The council was weighing whether to hold another informal vote on Friday or postpone it while negotiations continued. No date for the next round has been confirmed. Once the council agrees on a candidate, the General Assembly must formally appoint the new secretary-general, who is expected to lead the UN beginning January 1, 2027.

Why This Matters:

The secretary-general runs an institution funded by member states, and the people paying the bills have a direct stake in who holds the job. Grynspan’s stated priorities—a leaner organization with fewer overlapping responsibilities—speak to a long-running complaint from taxpayers in the countries that bankroll the UN. Nusseibeh’s call for a more active role in resolving conflicts points the other way. The stalemate also shows where power sits: with the five permanent members and their veto, not with the General Assembly or regional blocs pressing for turns. With the deadline closing in, the council faces a choice between a reform-minded consensus pick and an unresolved leadership gap at an organization that’s supposed to manage crises, not create one.