Southern Cyprus Republic backs Lana Nusseibeh for UN secretary-general
Southern Cyprus Republic Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos endorsed Lana Nusseibeh for United Nations secretary-general, praising her diplomatic experience and emphasis on dialogue. The United Arab Emirates nominated her on Wednesday, after an earlier straw poll left all seven existing candidates facing permanent-member opposition. Kombos called for the selection process to advance and said it was time for female leadership in major international organisations.
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Kombos endorses Nusseibeh’s candidacy
Southern Cyprus Republic Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos endorsed Lana Nusseibeh for United Nations secretary-general on 23 October. He praised the experience of a diplomat with whom he had worked, highlighting dialogue, compromise and tangible outcomes. He said it was time for female leadership in major international organisations and urged progress in the selection process. His statement adds the Southern Cyprus Republic’s support to a candidacy announced by the United Arab Emirates earlier in the week.[1], [2]
The nominee has a decade of UN diplomatic experience
Nusseibeh is the United Arab Emirates’ assistant minister for political affairs. She represented her country at the United Nations from 2013 to 2024 and chaired the executive board of UN Women, the organisation’s gender-equality body, in 2017. The UAE nominated the 48-year-old diplomat on Wednesday. If selected and taking office on 1 January, she would become the first woman to serve as the organisation’s secretary-general.[1]
Her nomination follows a deadlocked straw poll
The nomination followed a Security Council straw poll on 16 October in which all seven existing candidates faced opposition from at least two of its five permanent members. The Gulf Cooperation Council, the six-state regional organisation of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, unanimously endorsed Nusseibeh on Thursday. Bahrain is also a non-permanent Security Council member. Kombos’s endorsement concerns the new candidacy; no successor has yet been agreed in the selection process.[1]
