Lana Zaki Nusseibeh thanks Morocco for backing her UN Secretary-General bid
Emirati UN Secretary-General candidate Lana Zaki Nusseibeh thanked Morocco for its support after the Foreign Ministry endorsed her bid on Sunday.
Lana Zaki Nusseibeh, the candidate of the United Arab Emirates for United Nations Secretary-General, thanked the Kingdom of Morocco for supporting her bid to succeed António Guterres, in a post on her personal account on X.
She said she was grateful for Morocco’s support and confidence, adding that she shares the Kingdom’s conviction that the current period calls for stronger multilateral action and a greater UN role in protecting international peace and security.
A more effective organisation, guided by the principles of its Charter, has become an urgent necessity in the face of today’s international challenges, she argued.
Her message follows an announcement on Sunday by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates, which declared the Kingdom’s support for her candidacy. The ministry welcomed the nomination and said her qualifications, varied professional experience and record within international institutions equip her for the post.
A responsible source at the ministry explained that Rabat’s position rests on confidence in Nusseibeh’s ability to help strengthen the organisation’s effectiveness and standing, at a time when multilateralism and the UN’s role under its Charter need reinforcing.
Nusseibeh served as the UAE’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations from 2013 to 2024. During her career she was Vice-President of the General Assembly and chaired the Executive Board of UN Women, and worked on files linked to international peace and security, sustainable development and reform of UN institutions.
Consultations on choosing the next Secretary-General are continuing amid several candidacies and difficulty reaching consensus in the Security Council, which recommends a candidate to the General Assembly for appointment. Guterres’s second term ends on December 31, 2026, and his successor’s mandate is due to begin on January 1, 2027.
Relations between the Kingdom of Morocco and the United Arab Emirates have developed in recent years, including Emirati positions supporting the Kingdom’s territorial integrity and the opening of an Emirati consulate general in Laayoune in November 2020.
