Rebeca Grynspan or Lana Nusseibeh: Who will be the first female Secretary General of UN
The United Nations (UN) is all set to get its first woman Secretary General, and the contest is closing on between Rebeca Grynspan of Costa Rica and Lana Nusseibeh of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) though other contenders are also in the race.
[Lana Nusseibeh (L) and Rebeca Grynspan (File)]
United Nations: The United Nations (UN) is all set to get its first woman Secretary General, and the contest is closing on between Rebeca Grynspan of Costa Rica and Lana Nusseibeh of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) though other contenders are also in the race.
The term of the current Secretary General, António Guterres of Portugal, is ending on December 31, 2026, and the UN Security Council must recommend the name of the new UN Chief before this date.
As per the Article 97 of the UN Charter, the UN Security Council (UNSC) recommends the name of the UN Secretary General which is later ratified by the UN General Assembly (UNGA).
Rebeca Grynspan of Costa Rica, Carolyn Rodrigues Birkett of Guyana, María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés and Ivonne A-Baki of Ecuador, and Lana Nusseibeh of the United Arab Emirates (UAE - all women, have submitted their nomination papers along with Rafael Mariano Grossi of Argentina, Olara Otunnu of Uganda and Macky Sall of Senegal.
But, Rebeca Grynspan is the front runner and the leading figure in the contest, though Lana Nusseibeh, nominated by the UAE only two days ago, has emerged as a dark horse. Interestingly, both have a long experience of working at the United Nations (UN).
Who is Rebeca Grynspan?
Rebeca Grynspan Mayufis, Former Vice-President of Costa Rica, is an Economist and Diplomat who has served as Secretary-General of UN Trade and Development since 2021, the first woman to hold that post.
Rebeca Grynspan was born in San José on December 14, 1955, to a Costa Rican Jewish family, and she has a sister who lives in Israel. Her parents, Manuel Grynspan Burstin and Sara Mayufis Schapiro, emigrated from Poland to Central America. Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves formally nominated Grynspan as the country's candidate on October 8, 2025.
She says the UN is confronting simultaneous political, legitimacy, and operational crises, and if appointed the new Secretary General, she will focus her tenure on restoring confidence in the organization, rebuilding “the foundations of international security” by prioritizing peacemaking, and delivering results.
The UN Security Council held a first confidential "straw poll" of the candidates on July 30, 2026, in which Grynspan received the most "encourage" votes (10), ahead of Rodrigues-Birkett (9) and Grossi (7), establishing her as the early frontrunner.
Who is Lana Nusseibeh?
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) nominated Lana Zaki Nusseibeh on October 21, 2026 - months after the first straw poll. Yet the Emirati official with Palestinian roots, has emerged as a late frontrunner in the race to lead the United Nations.
Lana Nusseibeh was born in 1978 in Abu Dabi. She is of Palestinian origin and was educated in England, where she completed a degree with a thesis on the Jewish diaspora. She then returned to Abu Dhabi to serve as a special envoy for the Emirati government. In 2013, she was appointed the United Arab Emirates’ Permanent Representative to the UN. She also served as President of the UN Women Executive Board in 2017.
She is fluent in Arabic, English, French, and Hebrew, and has openly supported the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza, the 2020 Abraham Accords, and the role of women on the international stage.
“I will bring greater urgency to the pursuit of peace as UN Secretary-General,” Nusseibeh stated in her official announcement.
[Mohammad Abdullah Faizee is Journalism Intern at ummid.com.]
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