“I commit to engaging with Iran, like all member states, to advance peace and stability,” Nusseibeh said in an interview, outlining an approach that would keep communication open even between governments with sharply conflicting interests.
Her remarks follow the UAE’s formal nomination of the Minister of State on 21 October to succeed António Guterres, whose second term ends on 31 December. The United Nations has scheduled an interactive dialogue with Nusseibeh for 27 October, allowing member states to question her about her priorities and suitability for the position.
The commitment to speak with Iran is consistent with her campaign’s emphasis on preventing escalation rather than waiting for conflicts to become entrenched. Her published vision statement calls for quiet diplomacy, sustained engagement with opposing parties and practical agreements capable of reducing violence and humanitarian suffering.
Nusseibeh has argued that the organisation should remain present wherever it can help secure meaningful agreements, while recognising that regional mediators or other trusted intermediaries may sometimes be better placed to lead negotiations. That approach would give the secretary-general a role in supporting talks without claiming exclusive responsibility for them.
The Iranian question presents a particularly sensitive test of that philosophy. Relations between Tehran and several regional governments have been strained by security disputes and armed confrontations, while the wider crisis has complicated international efforts to prevent further escalation. A commitment to dialogue does not, by itself, establish whether Iran would accept any proposed UN initiative.
Nusseibeh has not publicly detailed a specific negotiating framework for Iran in the material accompanying her nomination. Her stated position instead reflects a broader undertaking to engage all UN members and seek agreements where competing governments can identify workable common ground.
Her campaign programme places immediate humanitarian arrangements among the possible starting points for diplomacy. It identifies access for relief supplies, prisoner exchanges and local ceasefires as examples of limited agreements that could create conditions for more comprehensive political settlements. It also stresses the importance of checking whether agreements are implemented.
The UAE submitted her nomination through a letter from President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to the presidents of the General Assembly and Security Council. The nomination was formally circulated to member states on 21 October, bringing her into a selection process already under way.
Nusseibeh has taken leave from her UAE government responsibilities to campaign. She has said she would serve the international organisation independently, declaring at the launch of her candidacy that she intended to speak frankly with every government while answering to none.
Her entry comes after an informal Security Council ballot on 16 October. Such polls help council members assess support for candidates but do not constitute a final decision. Under the UN Charter, the General Assembly appoints the secretary-general on the Security Council’s recommendation, giving the council’s five permanent members substantial influence over the outcome.
The competition is taking place amid divisions over the organisation’s effectiveness in addressing wars and humanitarian emergencies. Nusseibeh’s proposals include stronger accountability for UN programmes, reduced duplication and greater authority for personnel working close to crises. She also wants the organisation to respond earlier to signs of conflict.
Her candidacy faces scrutiny over allegations concerning the UAE’s role in Sudan’s war, including accusations of support for the Rapid Support Forces. The UAE rejects allegations that it supplies the paramilitary group. Questions about the conflict are likely to feature in assessments of her record, alongside her proposals for humanitarian diplomacy.
Nusseibeh served as the UAE’s permanent representative to the United Nations from 2013 until 2024. During the country’s 2022–2023 Security Council term, she twice held the council’s rotating presidency. She has also served as a General Assembly vice-president and headed the executive board of UN Women.
Her proposals also address development and human rights, the other two pillars of the UN’s work. She advocates moving resources closer to operational needs and measuring programmes against their costs and demonstrable results.
The scheduled dialogue will take place in the Trusteeship Council Chamber at UN headquarters, with candidates required to provide vision statements, curricula vitae and campaign financing disclosures as part of the selection arrangements.
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