UAE diplomat Lana Nusseibeh enters UN chief race, challenging front-runner Rebeca Grynspan

New contender could make history as first woman to lead the United Nations

By LineZotpaper

Published23 October 2026

Updated23 October 2026

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The race to become the next United Nations Secretary-General has taken a new turn with the entry of UAE Minister of State Lana Nusseibeh, who announced her candidacy this week. Nusseibeh joins a field that includes front-runner Rebeca Grynspan, the former Costa Rican Vice President, as well as several other candidates. The election could produce the first female secretary-general in the UN's more than 80-year history.

The contest to replace Antonio Guterres as UN Secretary-General is entering its decisive phase, with a final decision expected by the end of December. An informal straw poll of Security Council members last week gave Grynspan a narrow lead over her closest competitors, Guyana's former Foreign Minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett and Argentina's IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi. However, the race was effectively relaunched after two opposing votes, allowing new candidates to participate.

Enter Lana Nusseibeh, 48, a highly regarded senior UAE diplomat who previously served as her country's ambassador to the UN. She is credited with elevating the UAE's profile during its 2022-2023 Security Council term, where she secured the adoption of Resolution 2720, which opened the way for humanitarian aid deliveries into Gaza. A Hebrew speaker, she arranged visits for Council members to the Rafah border crossing to build support for the resolution.

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 impossible." In her vision statement, she emphasised peace and security, development, human rights, and organisational reform focused on results.

Rebeca Grynspan, 70, currently heads the UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD). Born to Jewish parents who fled Poland before World War II, she lost grandparents in the Holocaust. In a May interview with Euronews, Grynspan said: "I know exactly what wars take away from you and what peace allows you to do." She has said she agrees with US President Donald Trump's "constructive" criticism that the UN has not lived up to its potential, and that a reformed UN can make a difference.

Other candidates include former Ecuadorian Foreign Minister Maria Fernanda Espinosa, former Senegalese President Macky Sall, former UN Under-Secretary-General Olara Otunnu of Uganda, and Ecuadorian diplomat Ivonne A-Baki.

To win, a candidate needs at least nine votes from the 15-member Security Council without opposition from any of the five permanent members (the US, UK, France, China, Russia). The General Assembly then confirms the appointment.

If successful, Nusseibeh would become the first woman to lead the UN, the first of Palestinian descent, and the second Secretary-General from the Arabic-speaking world after Egypt's Boutros Boutros-Ghali. She stated: "I think it would be great if the next secretary-general is a woman, but I am not running because I am a woman, I am running because I am stubbornly optimistic about the future of the United Nations."

Grynspan told Euronews that in a multipolar world, the choice is between "multipolarity with multilateralism that bears the promise of prosperity and cooperation" or "multipolarity without multilateralism that will lead us to fragmentation." She called for creating spaces for the convergence of divergent interests.

The race has generated excitement due to the prospect of a female leader and the competing visions for the UN's future.

Analysis

Why This Matters

The next Secretary-General will lead the UN through a period of multiple armed conflicts, declining trust in multilateral institutions, and geopolitical competition. The outcome will shape the organisation's effectiveness for years.
A female Secretary-General would be a historic first, potentially shifting the UN's institutional culture and global perceptions.
The candidacies of Nusseibeh and Grynspan represent different approaches: Nusseibeh emphasises generational change and quiet diplomacy from a Gulf state perspective; Grynspan brings experience from trade and development and a personal history shaped by war.

Background

The election for UN Secretary-General follows a complex process. The Security Council recommends a candidate to the General Assembly, which appoints by consensus. The five permanent members (P5) each wield veto power. Informal straw polls narrow the field. This cycle, Grynspan emerged as a front-runner but received two opposing votes, triggering a reopening of nominations. Nusseibeh entered as a fresh contender, energising the race. The UN has never had a female Secretary-General in its more than 80-year history.

Key Perspectives

Supporters of Lana Nusseibeh: Argue her diplomatic track record, including securing Resolution 2720 on Gaza aid, demonstrates she can build consensus across divides. She represents generational change and has broad support from countries that urged her to run. Supporters of Rebeca Grynspan: Point to her long UN leadership experience at UNCTAD, her understanding of development challenges, and her personal story connecting her to the impact of conflict. She has a narrow lead from the initial straw poll. Skeptics of the process: The need to reopen the race after opposition votes suggests deep divisions among Security Council members. Some may question whether either candidate can secure P5 approval. Others may argue that a breakthrough on gender representation is overdue.

What to Watch

Whether the five permanent members signal support for either Grynspan or Nusseibeh in the coming weeks.
The results of the next informal straw poll, expected before the end of the year, to gauge shifting support.
How the regional dynamics play out: Nusseibeh's candidacy may draw support from Arab and Muslim states, while Grynspan may appeal to Latin America and Europe.

Sources

UAE diplomat running for UN chief faces questions over her country's support for Sudan rebels · Philadelphia Inquirer
UN chief race enters decisive phase as new contender arrives · Euronews

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12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 10 supported.

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SupportedUAE Minister of State Lana Nusseibeh entered the UN secretary-general race, challenging front-runner Rebeca Grynspan.Euronews: “UAE’s star diplomat Lana Nusseibeh has entered the race for the UN secretary-general position, challenging front-runner Rebeca Grynspan”
SupportedNusseibeh’s candidacy could make her the first woman to lead the United Nations.Euronews: “The UN chief race could now lead to the first ever female secretary-general.”
SupportedNusseibeh said she had spent much of her professional life working around the UN and had seen diplomacy bring countries with profound differences to agreement.Euronews: “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 impossible.”
SupportedNusseibeh said she was not running because she was a woman, but because she was stubbornly optimistic about the UN’s future.Euronews: “I think ⁠it would be great if the next secretary-general is a woman, but I am not running because I am a woman, I am running because I am stubbornly optimistic about the future of the United Nations”
SupportedGrynspan said the choice was between multipolarity with multilateralism, which promised prosperity and cooperation, and multipolarity without it, which would lead to fragmentation.Euronews: “the choice is if we will have multipolarity with multilateralism that bears the promise of prosperity and cooperation, or if we will have multipolarity without multilateralism that will lead us to fragmentation”
SupportedLast week’s informal Security Council straw poll gave Grynspan a narrow lead over Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett and Rafael Grossi.Euronews: “an informal straw poll of officials in the deciding United Nations Security Council last week gave Grynspan a narrow lead over her closest competitors: Guyana’s former Foreign Minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett and Argentina’s International Atomic Energy Agency Director-General Rafael Grossi.”
SupportedThe race was relaunched after two opposing votes, allowing new candidates to participate.Euronews: “But after receiving two opposing votes the race has been relaunched allowing new candidates to participate.”
Partly supportedA final decision is expected by the end of December.Euronews: “they have until the end of December to choose the successor to current UN chief Antonio Gutteres”
SupportedA candidate needs at least nine of the Security Council’s 15 votes and no opposition from any of its five permanent members; the General Assembly then confirms the appointment.Euronews: “The winner needs at least nine votes from the 15-member UN Security Council without opposition from any of the five permanent members — the US, the UK, France, China and Russia — and they have until the end of December to choose the successor to current UN chief Antonio Gutteres, before the UN General Assembly confirms the appointment.”
SupportedDuring the UAE’s 2022–2023 Security Council term, Nusseibeh secured adoption of Resolution 2720, which opened the way for humanitarian aid deliveries into Gaza; she arranged Rafah visits to secure support for it.Euronews: “During the country’s 2022 to 2023 term, Nusseibeh secured the adoption of Resolution 2720, which opened the way for humanitarian aid deliveries into Gaza. A Hebrew speaker, she said she secured support for the resolution by arranging visits from Council members to the Rafah border crossing.”
SupportedIf successful, Nusseibeh would be the first secretary-general of Palestinian descent and the second from the Arabic-speaking world, after Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt.Euronews: “If she succeeds, Nusseibeh would become the first woman to lead the United Nations since its establishment in 1945, the first of Palestinian descent, and the second Secretary-General from the Arabic-speaking world after Egypt's Boutros Boutros-Ghali.”
Partly supportedThe race has generated excitement because of the prospect of a female leader and competing visions for the UN’s future.Euronews: “The growing excitement around the race is also fueled by the prospect of a female UN secretary-general, something that has never happened in the UN's more than 80-year history.”