Lana Nusseibeh, the United Arab Emirates Minister of State and former Permanent Representative to the United Nations, has officially entered the race to become the next UN Secretary-General. Her candidacy was formally submitted by UAE President Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan in a letter to the presidents of the UN General Assembly and Security Council, following established procedures for the selection of the organisation’s top position. The current Secretary-General, António Guterres, is set to complete his second term on December 31, 2026.
Nusseibeh, who served as the UAE’s Permanent Representative to the UN from 2013 to 2024, brings extensive diplomatic experience to the contest. During her tenure, she held several key roles including Vice-President of the General Assembly, President of the Executive Board of UN Women, and twice served as President of the Security Council during the UAE’s 2022-2023 Security Council membership. Her involvement included leading negotiations on complex international issues, such as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where she played a significant role in advancing Resolution 2720 to facilitate aid delivery during conflict.
In announcing her candidacy on October 21, Nusseibeh emphasized the need for urgency and results-driven diplomacy at the United Nations. She described the growing gap between international commitments and their implementation as a threat to trust in the organisation’s effectiveness. “I believe this is a moment to act with greater urgency: to act earlier, bring people together across difference, and drive the work forward until it produces concrete results,” she said. Nusseibeh has taken a leave of absence from her ministerial duties to focus on the campaign and pledged to approach the role with independent judgement, stating her intent to “speak frankly with every government and answer to none.”
Her vision for the UN prioritizes peace and security through preventive and pragmatic diplomacy. She advocates for the use of “quiet diplomacy” to prevent conflicts from escalating and to secure achievable “first agreements,” such as local truces, humanitarian access, and prisoner exchanges. Nusseibeh stresses the importance of involving regional actors and trusted mediators alongside the UN, asserting that the organisation should support negotiations led by those best placed to advance peace. Her reform agenda seeks clearer priorities, stronger leadership, greater accountability, and enhanced resources on the ground to improve the UN’s effectiveness across its pillars of peace and security, development, and human rights.
Nusseibeh’s candidacy also carries historic significance. If elected, she would be the first woman to lead the United Nations since its foundation in 1945 and only the second Secretary-General from the Arab world, following Egypt’s Boutros Boutros-Ghali, who served from 1992 to 1996.
Her campaign enters a competitive field of seven candidates vying to succeed Guterres. The UN Security Council’s October 16 straw poll indicated no candidate had yet secured unanimous support from all five permanent members, who hold veto power over the appointment. Further straw polls and consultations are expected in the coming weeks as member states move toward selecting the next Secretary-General.
Nusseibeh, known for her direct diplomatic style and deep understanding of the UN system, cites her upbringing and family background as influential to her approach. She is the granddaughter of Palestinian politician Anwar Nusseibeh and daughter of Zaki Nusseibeh, a long-time adviser within the UAE government. She holds degrees from the University of Cambridge and SOAS University of London, with a focus on history and Israeli-Jewish diaspora studies.
As the selection process advances, observers will closely watch how her experience, vision for reform, and emphasis on peacebuilding resonate among the international community and Security Council members.