Lana Nusseibeh, an Emirati diplomat with Palestinian heritage, has emerged as a leading candidate for the position of United Nations Secretary-General following her official nomination last Wednesday. Campaigning on a platform emphasizing institutional reform, peace promotion, and human rights advocacy, Nusseibeh has secured support from Gulf countries, though her candidacy has also attracted criticism related to the United Arab Emirates' normalization of relations with Israel.
If elected, Nusseibeh would become the first woman and only the second Arab to hold the top UN post, marking a significant milestone for the UAE, a regional power that faced missile attacks from Iran earlier this year. In a campaign video, she pledged to infuse the UN’s peace efforts with greater urgency and to uphold human rights, speaking in English with a slight British accent. Her public image reflects a modern Arab woman, an identity the UAE has sought to project internationally.
Academic Abdulkhaleq Abdulla described Nusseibeh as a diplomat bringing “the best of the UAE’s diplomacy,” highlighting her extensive experience. She recently stepped down from her roles as state minister at the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and as the country’s envoy to both the UN and the European Union to focus on her campaign. Her diplomatic career includes serving as the UAE’s permanent representative to the UN from 2013 until 2024, where she was the first woman appointed to the position.
Nickolay Mladenov, former UN special coordinator for the Middle East peace process and a prominent figure on the US-backed “Board of Peace” for Gaza, characterized Nusseibeh as persistent and effective, saying she “does not give up when the room gets difficult” and is able to maintain her resolve without overwhelming others.
Nusseibeh’s family background is deeply rooted in Palestinian political history. Her family was displaced following the establishment of Israel in 1948, and they have traditionally held the keys to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem’s Old City. Her grandfather served as Jordan’s defense minister in the 1950s and was among the first Palestinians to engage with Israel, while her father, Zaki Nusseibeh, has been a close adviser and interpreter to the UAE’s founding president and currently serves as a cultural adviser to the UAE president.
Despite her Palestinian connections, Nusseibeh has publicly defended the Abraham Accords, the 2020 agreement under which the UAE normalized relations with Israel. This stance has drawn criticism from pro-Palestinian activists and commentators who oppose the normalization.
Nusseibeh, 48, holds two master’s degrees, one of which is in Israeli and Jewish diaspora studies from the University of London. Traditionally, the selection of the UN Secretary-General rotates by region, with this cycle favoring a candidate from Latin America. However, Mike Waltz, the U.S. ambassador to the UN, recently emphasized the importance of selecting the “best candidate” regardless of region or gender, signaling possible shifts in the selection process.