The key facts
- Lana Nusseibeh thanked Palestine for endorsing her candidacy for UN secretary general
- António Guterres's second and final term ends at the close of 2026
- Nusseibeh said she has worked on a political path allowing Palestinians and Israelis to live 'in security, freedom and dignity'
Palestine's endorsement and Nusseibeh's statement
UAE Minister of State Lana Nusseibeh declared her commitment to ensuring that Palestinians and Israelis can live 'in security, freedom and dignity' after becoming one of the contenders for the post of the next UN secretary general. She welcomed Palestine's endorsement of her candidacy, whose nomination was announced on Wednesday, The National reports.
Candidate's quote
'Throughout my career, including at the United Nations, I have worked to advance a political path that allows Palestinians and Israelis to live in security, freedom and dignity,' Nusseibeh wrote on the social network X in response to Palestine's endorsement of her campaign. 'I deeply appreciate Palestine's trust in my candidacy'.
Context of the UN election
The second and final term of the current secretary general, António Guterres, will end at the close of this year, and according to The National, Nusseibeh is receiving broad regional support in the race for the post. Previously, for more than ten years, until April 2024, she served as the UAE's permanent representative to the UN, then was assistant minister for political affairs and envoy of the minister of foreign affairs, and in September 2025 she was appointed minister of state.
Humanitarian work and the situation in Gaza
According to the outlet, in November 2025, during a visit to Cyprus, Nusseibeh stressed the importance of continuing aid to civilians affected by the war in Gaza and said that a maritime corridor from Cyprus was necessary to scale up the humanitarian response. The UAE remains among the leading donors of aid to Gaza: in August, support had already continued for more than 1,000 days, with the volume of aid delivered exceeding 14.2 billion dirhams ($3.89 billion). These funds went, among other things, to a floating hospital in Egypt and two medical centres in Gaza, as well as to transporting thousands of patients, including cancer patients and those wounded in combat, to the Emirates for treatment.
The situation after the ceasefire
The US-backed ceasefire in October 2025 halted large-scale hostilities in Gaza, however, as The National notes, Israeli strikes have not stopped, and little progress towards a lasting peace has been achieved. A significant portion of Gaza's population of more than two million people remains displaced, while chronic food shortages and limited access to medical services deepen the humanitarian crisis.
Significance of the event
Palestine's endorsement strengthens Nusseibeh's regional position in the race for the post of UN secretary general, Guterres's term expires at the end of the year, so determining his successor is a matter of the coming months. For the UAE, this is a chance to lead the UN for the first time, and for the Palestinian question, an opportunity to keep it on the organisation's agenda: the candidate herself ties her programme to a political settlement and humanitarian access to Gaza. In practical terms, this means that the further steps of the Security Council and the General Assembly on nominating candidates will directly determine who will lead the UN in the next term.
