The United Arab Emirates’ nominee for United Nations secretary-general, Lana Zaki Nusseibeh, has proposed earlier conflict diplomacy and program accountability, while The National says the next leader will need member-state backing.
The UN’s joint letter to member states records the UAE’s nomination of Nusseibeh on Oct. 21. The UAE said President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan submitted her name to the presidents of the General Assembly and Security Council. Nusseibeh is the UAE’s minister of state.
Her platform calls for the UN to work earlier on conflict prevention and lists humanitarian access, prisoner exchanges and local truces as practical measures. She says those steps should be supported by continued diplomacy and verification. For UN operations, Nusseibeh proposes clearer priorities and stronger coordination, along with less duplication. She also wants major Secretariat programs to report results against their costs. In her candidacy announcement, she said she would serve by “speaking frankly with every government and answering to none.”
Nusseibeh served as the UAE’s Permanent Representative to the UN from 2013 to 2024. During the UAE’s elected 2022-23 Security Council term, she twice served as council president.
In its Oct. 23 editorial, The National argued that governments will need to give the next secretary-general room to pursue diplomacy and coordinate UN agencies. It said the permanent Security Council members would be particularly important. The editorial cited divisions among major powers, overlapping agency responsibilities and limited resources as obstacles that can weaken confidence in the organization.
Article 97 of the UN Charter provides that the Security Council recommends a secretary-general for appointment by the General Assembly. The council’s recommendation therefore precedes the Assembly’s appointment. António Guterres’ term ends Dec. 31, 2026, and the next term begins Jan. 1, 2027. The UAE said the council’s latest straw poll was held Oct. 16; the UN keeps poll results private. It has not announced dates for the recommendation or appointment.
