The UAE's Minister of State Lana Nusseibeh has entered the race to become the next UN secretary general.
UAE state media agency Wam reported on Wednesday that Ms Nusseibeh would be joining the list of candidates for the role heading the world body.
Ms Nusseibeh previously served as the country's representative to the UN, and headed the country's delegation during its two-year-long membership on the Security Council.
Wam said that in a letter submitted to the UN Security Council from President Sheikh Mohamed, Ms Nusseibeh’s “deep experience of the United Nations, her judgment in addressing the ongoing international challenges, and her record of constructive work” were highlighted.
Secretary General Antonio Guterres's second and final term will end at the end of the year. Ms Nusseibeh joins a crowded slate of candidates for the next leader of the world body.
#الإمارات ترشح رسمياً معالي لانا نسيبة لمنصب الأمين العام للأمم المتحدة#وام https://t.co/FTL9qrdI1o pic.twitter.com/5OrWJQJpJP
— وكالة أنباء الإمارات (@wamnews) October 21, 2026
Seven people have been forward for the role, including Guyana’s Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, Argentina’s Rafael Grossi, Costa Rica’s Rebeca Grynspan, Senegal's Macky Sall, Ecuador's Ivonne Baki, Chile's Michelle Bachelet, Ecuador's Maria Fernanda Espinosa and Uganda's Olara Otunnu. However, none of the candidates has been able to get enough support among the members of the UN Security Council's members.
Deliberations continue at the Security Council, with straw polls indicating that Ms Grynspan is the front-runner. With the current deadlock, there has been an expectation that new candidates would enter the race.
If selected, Ms Nusseibeh would be the first woman to hold the position of Secretary General of the UN and only the second Arab, after Egypt's Boutros Boutros Ghali. She would also be the first Gulf Arab to assume the role.
Ms Nusseibeh was appointed the UAE's ambassador to the UN in 2013. Prior to that, she served in a number of capacities within the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, launching the ministry’s Policy Planning Department and serving as its first director for three years.
She also previously served as the dead of the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena) campaign task force at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and as director of research and communications for the Ministry of State for Federal National Council Affairs.
She stepped down from her role as UN ambassador in mid 2024 to take up her role as UAE Minister of State.
The minister spoke to The National last month at the General Assembly in New York about the UAE's key messages at the UN and its commitment to multilateralism.
“Although it seems that this is a really uncertain time ... a challenging time, it is not a time to give up hope. It is not a time to give up optimism about the future. It is not a time to give up diplomacy and a recommitment to multilateralism,” said Ms Nusseibeh.