Who is Lana Nusseibeh? Meet the UAE’s pick for UN chief

UAE veteral diplomat Lana Zaki Nusseibeh, 48, envisions a "strong, renewed" United Nations.

She wants the world body created in 1945, shortly after World War II, to be "more responsive" to young people.

That's the centrepiece of her campaign as the UAE's nominee for the position of the next Secretary-General.

On Tuesday (Oct. 27, 2026), the UN held an interactive dialogue with Nusseibeh where she presented her vision for a strong, renewed UN that is more responsive to young people, respects the Charter, and "restores trust through tangible results".

The event, held in the Trusteeship Council Chamber at the UN New York Headquarters, was convened as part of the selection process to replace outgoing UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres of Portugal.

Selection follows an established route (under UNGA Resolution 79/327), and provided a platform for member-states and civil society with an opportunity to discuss her vision and priorities.

Association Ma’onah for Human Rights and Immigration attended the session as an observer, following an official invitation from the President of the UN General Assembly.

During the session, Nusseibeh presented her vision for a strong, renewed United Nations that is more responsive to young people, respects the Charter, and restores trust through tangible results.

She emphasised "preventive diplomacy", mediation, efficient spending, and the mutually reinforcing relationship between peace, development, and human rights.

She also proposed establishing a mediation board during her first year in office.

Nusseibeh’s responses demonstrated diplomatic skill and a commitment to building international consensus.

In response to the Swiss representative’s question, she reaffirmed Geneva’s importance and welcomed stronger UN representation there. She also pushed for a greater headquarters presence in the "Global South".

She indicated that, if selected, this would form part of her vision — an issue the Association considers among the session’s most significant points.

The discussion also addressed her plans for reform, independence, accountability, Sudan, and stronger partnerships with civil society.

Al Nusseibeh affirmed the independence of the office.

Nusseibeh was born in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates in 1978.

Her father, Zaki Nusseibeh (born in 1946) studied at Cambridge, moved to Abu Dhabi, and became an adviser to Sheikh Zayed and later a UAE minister of state.

Lana grew up between the UK and Abu Dhabi, per i24NEWS.

She read history at Queens’ College, Cambridge, earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees.

In 2003, she completed a master’s with distinction in Israeli and Jewish diaspora studies at SOAS, University of London.

Before New York, she set up the Foreign Ministry’s Policy Planning Department, served as UAE co-special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, was deputy sherpa at the 2011 G20, and worked with UNESCO in Paris, according to her campaign site.

From 2013 to 2024 she was the UAE’s permanent representative to the UN, the first woman in that post.

She presided over the Security Council twice during the UAE’s 2022-2023 term, and also served as a General Assembly vice-president and president of the UN Women Executive Board.

She became Minister of State in September 2025, with a brief covering the UN and EU.

She is now on leave to campaign.

The UAE formally nominated her on October 21, according to UN records.

On October 22, the GCC secretary-general announced the unanimous backing of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

Morocco World News reports Morocco and the State of Palestine also endorse her.

Her platform: “A United Nations for the Next Eighty Years,” centres on preventive diplomacy and practical “first agreements” such as humanitarian access, prisoner exchanges and local truces.

She also proposes that major UN programmes report what they achieved against what they cost.

She pledged to speak frankly with every government and answer to none.

Her bid arrives after the Security Council’s October 16 straw poll, in which existing contenders reportedly faced opposition from at least two permanent members, Gulf News analyst Kristian Alexander wrote.

He noted reports that Washington wants a reform-minded candidate, which are not a declared veto.

At the UN GA's interactive dialogue in New York, Nusseibeh proposed a mediation board in her first year, more UN presence in Geneva and the Global South, and support for fact-finding missions on accountability in Sudan.

According to the Association Ma’onah for Human Rights and Immigration, an observer, no permanent Security Council member publicly rejected her platform.

Russia asked about the Charter and the mandates of UN organs, and the UK asked about sustaining reform. The Sudanese representative objected. That group’s reading is an advocacy view, and public questions are not votes, because the Council’s informal polls work differently.

A woman has never led the UN in its 80 years, and the race is deadlocked. Her entry could break the stalemate, shape UN reform and give the Gulf and Arab world a historic voice.

The US Security Council continues informal straw polls, needing nine votes and no permanent-member veto.

Then the General Assembly appoints before Guterres leaves on December 31.

Watch reactions from Washington, Moscow, Beijing and Tehran.

Sources: Gulf News, NoonPost, Morocco World News, i24NEWS, lananusseibeh.org, and Association Ma’onah’s account of the dialogue.