UAE’s Lana Nusseibeh Enters UN Chief Race, Pledges Quiet Diplomacy

The United Arab Emirates has formally nominated Lana Zaki Nusseibeh, a senior diplomat and minister of state, for the position of United Nations secretary-general, as she pledges to pursue peace through quiet diplomacy and strengthen the organization's ability to respond to global crises.

Nusseibeh announced her candidacy on Wednesday, October 21, following her nomination by UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. She is seeking to succeed António Guterres, whose second five-year term ends on December 31, 2026. If appointed, she would begin the role in January 2027.

In outlining her ambition, Nusseibeh said her years working within and alongside the United Nations had shown her both the possibilities of determined diplomacy and the consequences when diplomatic efforts fail. She argued that the organization needed to act earlier, bring opposing sides together and pursue negotiations until they produce tangible results.

“I wish to offer myself to this office as I would serve it: speaking frankly with every government and answering to none,” she said, signalling an intention to operate independently of individual governments if elected. She has taken a leave of absence from her UAE government position to focus on the campaign.

Peace and security sit at the centre of her proposed agenda. Nusseibeh wants the UN to make greater use of discreet diplomatic engagement to prevent disputes from escalating, preserve communication between adversaries and secure practical agreements even when broader political settlements remain out of reach. Her proposals include negotiating humanitarian access, prisoner exchanges and local truces, with follow-up mechanisms to help ensure that agreements are honoured.

Her programme also calls for institutional reforms aimed at making the UN more focused, accountable and responsive. She has advocated clearer priorities, less duplication across programmes, stronger measurement of results against costs and greater authority for officials working close to the communities and conflicts the organisation is meant to serve. On development, she emphasises employment, nationally determined priorities and support for countries facing conflict and fragility. She also argues that the UN should help build international cooperation on emerging challenges, including artificial intelligence, biotechnology and climate-related risks.

Nusseibeh brings more than a decade of direct experience at the UN. She served as the UAE’s permanent representative to the organization from 2013 to 2024, during which she was a vice-president of the General Assembly and president of the executive board of UN Women. She also co-chaired processes concerning General Assembly revitalization and Security Council reform, and twice served as president of the Security Council during the UAE’s 2022–2023 elected membership. Her diplomatic work has included peace and security, humanitarian affairs, development and women’s participation in peace processes.

The UAE’s nomination has received backing from the Gulf Cooperation Council, whose secretary-general announced on October 22 that all six member states supported Nusseibeh’s candidacy. The council said the endorsement reflected its members’ commitment to multilateral cooperation and the UN’s role in maintaining international peace and security. Regional support may help her campaign, although the final outcome will depend on the wider UN selection process.

Her entry comes as the search for Guterres’s successor remains shaped by competing geopolitical interests among the five permanent members of the Security Council: China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States. Reuters reported that Nusseibeh’s candidacy adds a prominent Middle Eastern contender to a field in which the permanent members have yet to agree on a candidate. The council has been conducting confidential straw polls, including a round on October 16, to assess support for contenders.

Under Article 97 of the UN Charter, the secretary-general is appointed by the General Assembly on the recommendation of the Security Council. That means a candidate must first secure the council’s recommendation before the Assembly can make the appointment. The permanent members’ veto powers make their positions especially consequential, and regional endorsements alone cannot guarantee success.

Nusseibeh’s campaign therefore combines a diplomatic pitch with a promise of institutional change at a time when the UN faces wars, humanitarian emergencies, development pressures and deep divisions among major powers. Her central argument is that quiet engagement should not be an end in itself, but a way to achieve measurable progress, from keeping humanitarian routes open to reducing violence and rebuilding trust in multilateral action. Whether that approach can win the necessary backing will be determined through a selection process in which diplomacy among governments is as important as the candidate’s stated vision.