The former UAE ambassador to the UN announces her candidacy to succeed António Guterres

Last updated: October 22, 2026 | 07:17

The Minister of State has taken leave from her government role to pursue the top UN post.

New York: Lana Nusseibeh, UAE Minister of State and Envoy to the UN and EU, has announced her candidacy to become the next UN Secretary-General, following her formal nomination by the United Arab Emirates.

Her candidacy comes following the Security Council’s latest straw poll on October 16, held as part of the process to select a successor to António Guterres, whose second term ends on December 31, 2026.

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Launching her candidacy, Nusseibeh said: “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…