UAE Minister of State Lana Nusseibeh has emerged in recent hours as a potential successor to U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres, whose term ends in December.
According to a report published Tuesday by the Financial Times, supporters of Nusseibeh have been reaching out to diplomatic missions at the United Nations to gauge the level of backing she might receive. There has also been speculation that she could soon announce her candidacy, although the UAE has made no official announcement.
Nusseibeh’s name gained traction following an informal round of voting at the Security Council on Oct. 16, during which none of the seven candidates secured the support of all five permanent members: the United States, Russia, China, France and Britain.
To win the post, a candidate must receive at least nine votes from the 15-member Security Council, without a veto from any of the five permanent members.
The voting results showed that Rebecca Grynspan, the leading candidate and a former vice president of Costa Rica who heads the U.N. Conference on Trade and Development, received nine votes but faced opposition from two permanent members.
The second-ranked candidate, Rafael Grossi, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, also received two votes against him from permanent members.
The results have raised questions about whether a new candidate could emerge with broader support within the Security Council, and whether Nusseibeh could capitalize on the difficulties facing the current contenders.
The race is unfolding amid calls for a woman to become the first female secretary-general, following a succession of nine men who have held the post since the United Nations was established in 1945.
A Long Diplomatic Career
Nusseibeh has more than a decade of experience at the United Nations. She served as the UAE’s permanent representative to the organization from 2013–2024, becoming the first Emirati woman to hold the position.
During that period, she led the UAE mission while her country served as a nonpermanent member of the Security Council from 2022–2023. She took part in discussions on Russia’s war in Ukraine, the Palestinian issue, the war in Gaza and international security.
She also chaired the executive board of U.N. Women in 2017, served as a vice president of the U.N. General Assembly and participated in negotiations concerning Security Council reform.
Nusseibeh comes from a prominent Palestinian family in Jerusalem. She acquired Emirati citizenship through her father, Zaki Nusseibeh, a cultural adviser to the UAE president. She holds degrees from the universities of Cambridge and London, including a master’s degree in Israeli and Jewish diaspora studies.
In September 2025, she was appointed a minister of state at the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, following years of service in the country’s diplomatic mission in New York.
Abdulkhaleq Abdulla, a professor of political science at the United Arab Emirates University, believes Nusseibeh has the qualifications to succeed Guterres, citing her more than 20 years of diplomatic experience and her detailed understanding of how the international organization operates.
In comments to MBN, Abdulla said Nusseibeh had “demonstrated, during her years of work at the United Nations, an ability to handle issues of international peace and security and global crises, in addition to her leadership qualities.”
The Financial Times, however, reported that Nusseibeh could face difficulties distancing herself from controversy surrounding Abu Dhabi’s regional interventions, particularly in Sudan, where the UAE has been accused of supporting the Rapid Support Forces, which have themselves been accused of committing atrocities. The UAE denies arming either side in the war.
The newspaper also raised questions about Saudi Arabia’s position on a potential Nusseibeh candidacy. It cited analysts who played down the likelihood of Riyadh opposing her, given Saudi Arabia’s efforts to resolve its differences with Abu Dhabi over Yemen.
Abdulla said the UAE’s international standing and extensive global relationships “constitute an additional factor supporting Nusseibeh’s chances.”
But the decisive test of her bid to succeed Guterres would come in a Security Council vote, should she formally enter the race.
Adapted and translated from the original Arabic.
