Lana Zaki Nusseibeh
Lana Zaki Nusseibeh

Lana Zaki Nusseibeh's bid to lead the United Nations has moved into a public test, as she took part in an interactive dialogue with member states six days after the United Arab Emirates formally nominated her.

In a race that could see the first woman appointed secretary-general, her platform raises a question that goes beyond who holds the post: how can the organisation win back the confidence of states in its ability to deliver results?

The question matters especially to countries that rely on international rules and institutions to protect their interests and extend their influence. For middle and small powers, an effective UN is a practical interest. It gives them room to negotiate and to help shape decisions they would struggle to influence on their own.

Seen from this angle, the appeal of Ms Nusseibeh's pitch becomes clearer. She is trying to reconnect the defence of multilateralism with its ability to deliver clear benefits, at a time when funding international institutions grows harder the wider the gap between their pledges and what is achieved on the ground.

Experience inside the institution

Ms Nusseibeh enters the contest with 11 years' experience as the UAE's permanent representative to the UN, from 2013 to 2024. During that time she served as a vice-president of the General Assembly and as president of the executive board of UN Women. She also helped lead processes on Security Council reform and on revitalising the work of the General Assembly.

She twice held the presidency of the Security Council during the UAE's membership in 2022 and 2023. Over those years she built a wide network of contacts and relationships, becoming within a short time one of the best-known figures at the UN.

This background gives her knowledge of two overlapping levels of UN work: political negotiation between governments, and the institutional machinery that determines what the organisation can actually carry out. That knowledge matters for a post that requires turning understandings into action, and managing the sometimes difficult relationship between the ambitions of the Secretariat and the limits of the mandate granted by member states.

But experience is only a starting point. Moving from representing one country to leading a global organisation brings a wider test of independence and trust.

Speaking after the dialogue, Ms Nusseibeh said she had taken leave from her government responsibilities, and stressed that she sought to serve all member states.

Diplomacy that begins with the achievable

In her published vision, Ms Nusseibeh gives priority to conflict prevention and to specific agreements that can be reached during wartime, such as humanitarian access, prisoner exchanges and local ceasefires. She proposes following up on these arrangements and verifying their implementation, seeing them as steps that build trust and open the way to broader settlements. She also calls for working flexibly with regional organisations and with mediators trusted by the parties.

The potential value of this approach lies in linking political ambition to measures that immediately ease people's suffering. Its success, however, depends on the secretary-general's ability to uphold principles, rally support, and prevent temporary arrangements from becoming a permanent substitute for tackling the root causes of conflict.

Climate and accountability at the heart of effectiveness

Her programme also includes linking programme outcomes to their costs, tackling duplication of work, and giving staff in the field greater ability to act. On climate, she calls for helping countries anticipate its impacts and strengthen their resilience, particularly where fragility overlaps with development and security risks.

These priorities allow her candidacy to be discussed in terms of concrete needs. What do financial contributions achieve? How do resources reach the communities most at risk? And what can the organisation offer countries facing crises beyond their national capacity?

The prospect of the first woman being chosen to lead the UN carries historic weight.
Yet the most enduring case for Ms Nusseibeh's candidacy will depend on how far she can persuade states that her negotiating experience and her vision for reform can produce independent and effective leadership.

The interactive dialogue put that case before the decision-makers of an organisation that regains trust whenever it manages to make international co-operation worthwhile.