U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio noted he recently discussed the upcoming vacancy with French President Emmanuel Macron. While Washington officially views multiple contenders as qualified, diplomatic sources indicate the administration quietly backs Emirati diplomat Lana Nusseibeh. However, Nusseibeh's potential bid faces pushback due to Abu Dhabi's ties to paramilitary forces linked to genocide in Darfur. Rubio reiterated that other member states maintain a vote and stressed that the wider system requires fundamental change.
Key points
Public disclosure of Washington's preferred candidates is being avoided to protect their…: Public disclosure of Washington's preferred candidates is being avoided to protect their chances in the upcoming election.
Emirati candidate Lana Nusseibeh faces scrutiny over Abu Dhabi's controversial ties to pa…: Emirati candidate Lana Nusseibeh faces scrutiny over Abu Dhabi's controversial ties to paramilitary fighters in Sudan.
The United States is actively lobbying allies to support substantial leadership and insti…: The United States is actively lobbying allies to support substantial leadership and institutional reforms within the United Nations.
Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that the US believes there are "two or three very qualified people" for the job of United Nations secretary general, which will shortly be vacated by Antonio Guterres.
In remarks reported by PassBlue, which covers the UN, Rubio said that if he revealed who Washington's preferred candidate was, "it would doom them to lose".
"There's a couple really good candidates, people that we like, two or three, and the process will work itself out," Rubio said. "And I think we've expressed our views, but that - it's an ongoing process."
US President Donald Trump's administration favours Emirati diplomat Lana Nusseibeh for the job, according to multiple diplomatic sources who have spoken with Middle East Eye.
Her candidacy has been the subject of much controversy surrounding Abu Dhabi's support for the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, which has been found by the UN and US to have committed genocide in Darfur.
"At some point the world will make a decision on who they want, and we have our opinions," Rubio said.
Mary Peltola's campaign is pushing state courts to mandate the disclosure of rejected absentee voter details following the high-stakes election against Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan. The legal challenge seeks to ensure all qualified votes count before the election outcome is finalized. A prompt judicial ruling is anticipated as state officials defend the confidentiality of working election documents.
Persistent airstrikes and ground offensives across southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley have forced farmers to abandon roughly a quarter of the nation's agricultural land. The deployment of white phosphorus and widespread infrastructure demolition have severely undermined environmental stability by increasing risks of desertification and soil sterility. Consequently, these military operations have erased recent domestic production gains and stripped frontline rural communities of their livelihoods.
Moscow's latest travel restrictions target officials and reporters following Paris's decision to expel a prominent pro-Kremlin media executive labeled an agent of influence. The move deepens a wider diplomatic dispute over European crackdowns on Russian state-backed media networks. This retaliation expands the growing list of Western public figures and journalists barred from Russia since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.