Rights groups oppose UAE’s Lana Nusseibeh for UN chief over Sudan claims

Human Rights Groups Warn Against UAE Diplomat for UN Leadership Role Amid Sudan Allegations

Several human rights organizations called for international rejection of UAE official Lana Nusseibeh for the UN Secretary-General position, citing the United Arab Emirates’ alleged financing of paramilitary forces in Sudan.

At 48, Nusseibeh is competing to become the first woman and only Arab to serve as United Nations Secretary-General.

Since her official nomination last week, she has received support from Gulf states while facing scrutiny regarding the United Arab Emirates’ normalization with Israel and its alleged involvement in the Sudanese conflict.

Since 2023, Sudan has been locked in conflict between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), with the UAE accused of funding the militants—a charge the UAE denies.

Human Rights Watch director Ken Roth stated, “I believe Lana Nusseibeh is unsuitable for the UN Secretary-General position.”

“She has been repeatedly questioned about the UAE’s role in arming and supporting the RSF, and her denial of these facts seems willful,” Roth further said.

On Tuesday, Nusseibeh announced taking a leave of absence from her UAE ministerial post to ensure independence from the UAE in a role that demands impartiality, noting that the devastating conflict in Sudan would serve as a critical test of an incoming Secretary-General’s effectiveness.

Kate Ferguson, co-director of the British NGO Protection Approaches, also expressed concerns. “There appears to be insufficient evidence that this candidate is independent from her home state,” she stated.

UN Secretary-General candidates are required to be independent from their home governments to serve as the head of an international organization.

A seasoned diplomat, Nusseibeh previously served as the UAE’s permanent representative to the UN from 2013 to 2024, becoming the first woman to hold that role.

Regarding Sudan specifically, Nusseibeh said, “The loss of human life on the ground constitutes a tragedy.”

She condemned the RSF atrocities as “atrocious” and expressed support for UN fact-finding missions pursuing accountability and transitional justice, stressing that the organization’s first priority must be to halt the conflict.

Candidates for the UN Secretary-General must secure nine of the fifteen Security Council votes and avoid a veto from one of the council’s permanent members: the United States, Britain, China, France, or Russia.

Nusseibeh is from a distinguished Palestinian family of statesmen, whose origins trace back to displacement following the creation of Israel in 1948.

Her family traditionally managed the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the ancient Old City of Jerusalem, recognized as the holiest site in Christianity where it is believed Jesus was crucified.

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