UAE's Lana Nusseibeh enters race to succeed António Guterres as UN chief
The nomination was submitted in a letter by UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed to the heads of the UN General Assembly and Security Council, just as it became clear that the previous field had collapsed under the weight of P5 vetoes.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has formally nominated Lana Nusseibeh for United Nations Secretary-General, injecting a seasoned diplomat into a race that has completely stalled.
After six rounds of voting in the Security Council failed to produce a candidate acceptable to the five permanent members (P5)—with every single contender facing a veto—Nusseibeh’s entry is a calculated bid to provide the consensus candidate the UN desperately needs.
The nomination was submitted in a letter by UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed to the heads of the UN General Assembly and Security Council, just as it became clear that the previous field had collapsed under the weight of P5 vetoes.
Nusseibeh, who currently serves as the UAE’s Minister of State and previously served as the country's Ambassador to the UN from 2013 to 2024, has taken a leave of absence from her government role to focus on the campaign.
Why Nusseibeh?
The math of this nomination is stark. The administration of US President Donald Trump reportedly opposed all seven of the previous contenders, while other P5 members held their own red lines.
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But Washington’s close relationship with the UAE, a country that also maintains strong working ties with Russia, China, Britain, and France, makes Nusseibeh a uniquely viable candidate.
She is a known quantity in New York, having navigated the Security Council during her decade as ambassador. In a highly polarised world, the UAE’s strategy of multi-alignment and its ability to maintain open channels with both the West and the East may be exactly what the UN needs to avoid a constitutional crisis.
With current Secretary-General António Guterres’ second term ending on December 31, 2026, the pressure to find a consensus candidate is immense. If the Council fails to recommend a nominee, the UN faces the unprecedented prospect of an empty chair at the top on January 1.
Nusseibeh is framing her candidacy not just on her diplomatic pedigree, but on a pragmatic vision for the institution.
“I have spent much of my professional life working in and around the United Nations, and I have seen first-hand what determined diplomacy can achieve—countries with profound differences finding common ground, and agreement where people said agreement was impossible,” she said in her announcement.
But she also warned of the consequences of the UN’s current paralysis, pointing to the organization's failure to deliver on its promises.
“But I have also seen the cost when diplomacy falls short. When the distance between what we promise and what we deliver grows, trust erodes, and so does our ability to act,” Nusseibeh said.
“I am standing to be Secretary-General because 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. That is how we rebuild trust in the United Nations and ensure it delivers meaningful change for the people it exists to serve.”
The race for the UN’s top job has been a bruising display of great-power rivalry, with the P5 reducing the selection process to a series of diplomatic funerals.
Nusseibeh’s entry offers the Council a face-saving off-ramp. She represents a bridge between the Global South and the West, and a leader whose country has successfully navigated the new multipolar reality.
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