Lana Nusseibeh, the United Arab Emirates’ former ambassador to the United Nations, has announced her candidacy to become the next UN Secretary-General, setting out what she would seek to do if elected to lead the organisation.
Her candidacy follows her formal nomination by the United Arab Emirates and comes after the latest Security Council straw poll on Oct. 16, part of the process to choose a successor to António Guterres, whose second term ends on Dec. 31, 2026.
Launching her candidacy, HE Nusseibeh said:
“I have spent much of my professional life working in and around the United Nations. I have seen its frustrations at close quarters, but I have also seen what becomes possible when diplomacy works.”
Nusseibeh said she was entering the race at an important stage in the selection process, as Member States continued to consider the field following the latest straw poll.[DB1]
“I believe my experience and my vision for the United Nations can make a contribution at this moment, and I am putting that case directly to Member States.”
[TBC] HE Nusseibeh has taken a leave of absence from her position in the UAE Government to focus on her candidacy.
“The Secretary-General serves the United Nations and its membership as a whole. Independence, judgement and trust are fundamental to the office.”
Her Vision Statement, A United Nations for the Next Eighty Years, sets out what she would seek to do as Secretary-General. It is focused on three priorities: restoring diplomacy as a practical tool for preventing and resolving conflict; making the UN more disciplined and accountable in how it uses resources; and ensuring that the organisation is better equipped for changes in the global economy, technology and the international system.
Diplomacy and conflict prevention
HE Nusseibeh says the United Nations should place greater emphasis on mediation, prevention and practical agreements that can reduce violence and create space for wider political settlements.
She calls for more active use of the Secretary-General’s good offices, including to preserve channels of communication where formal negotiations have stalled and to support achievable “first agreements” such as humanitarian access, prisoner exchanges and local truces.
She also calls for closer coordination with regional organisations, governments and other mediators, with the UN supporting political processes where it can add value rather than competing with them.
Reforming how the UN works
HE Nusseibeh pledges an early review of UN mandates in 2027 to identify those that are inactive, duplicative or already completed. Her Vision Statement calls for clearer links between mandates, resources and results, greater transparency over what UN programmes deliver, and more decisions to be taken closer to the field where possible.
Reform should be judged by whether the organisation becomes more capable and effective, rather than simply by cuts to structures or staff.
Development, finance and a changing global economy
Nusseibeh says the UN should do more to help developing countries secure the resources they need to meet national priorities. She calls argues that organisation should do more to help countries attract private investment, improve access to finance and support faster and fairer debt restructuring, while working more effectively with international financial institutions, governments and the private sector.
Development and peace cannot be treated as separate agendas, particularly for countries facing high debt burdens, climate pressures and limited fiscal space.
A UN equipped for the future
Nusseibeh also makes the case that the organisation must adapt to changes in technology and global power. She says the United Nations should help build greater international understanding around artificial intelligence and emerging technologies, while ensuring that countries without major technological capabilities are not excluded from decisions that will shape their economies and societies.
A changing international system requires a UN that reflects a wider range of countries, regions and perspectives in its leadership and decision-making.
UN experience
Nusseibeh served as the UAE’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations from 2013 to 2024. During that period, she served as a Vice-President of the General Assembly, President of the Executive Board of UN Women, worked on General Assembly revitalisation and Security Council reform, and twice served as President of the Security Council during the UAE’s 2022–2023 term.
Her UN work covered peace and security, humanitarian issues, sustainable development, women, peace and security and multilateral reform.
Her full Vision Statement, A United Nations for the Next Eighty Years, is available at www.lananusseibeh.org.
