Political Critic. "In history"

I have been following with great interest, all interactive dialogues that took place here at the UN, conducted with all UNSG official candidates. I must say that UNSG candidate Lana Nusseibeh, among all candidates, had last Tuesday one of the best interactive dialogue sessions, during this UNSG election race, with UN member states and representatives from civil societies. There were at times questions about very thorny issues like the "UAE role in the Sudan civil war", there were also varied and diverse question reflecting our ever changing and challenging world, yet she answered, I dare say, all of them with confidence, apparent knowledge and full understanding of the issues. Nusseibeh never hesitated to say when answering a question that she would consult with member states or with this body or that on this or that issue. In addition to her obvious eloquence, I watched how respectful she was of the question being asked, and of the person asking it. This is something not new to this UNSG candidate, we at the UN press core, as many of my colleagues would attest, have grown accustomed during more than 10 years of her tenure here as the UAE PR -grown accustomed- to her firm but kind and always respectful demeanor. Civility at the UN is becoming a rare commodity and it is high-time to start practicing it again. It is not only her abilities & credentials but also her strong character that made her a candidate that garnered so far and in such a short period such regional and international support. It seemed that UNSG candidate Nusseibeh was fully prepared for the occasion last Tuesday, and showed great resilience after a long, grueling and sometimes challenging interactive session, by being more than happy to take on the UN press and answer their propping question. In my humble opinion as a journalist and an observer of all things that is UN, since 1996, all that is left for the Security Council to do, is to make up its mind and give a deserving woman diplomat or I should say, a deserving candidate, of Lana Nusseibeh’s caliber, the chance to lead this great organization and if it happens to be the world’s first woman UNSG, then that is an added bonus and a great landmark on the road to gender parity within the UN system. Her history at the UN stretching more than 10 years, including 2 years at the security council, proved that she was a people’s person and a bridge maker that can succeed where others failed. Gaza Humanitarian Res. 2720 adopted on December 22, 2023, by a vote of 13 in favor, 0 against, with 2 abstentions (Russia and the US), is one great example of her negotiating skills as an astute diplomat, navigating obstacles and bridging differences while leading the discussions and changing narratives between all parties to arrive to a very substantive humanitarian outcome to complement Res. 2712 drafted by Malta in Nov. 2023. Today the UN announced that there will be a closed security council session where a secret "straw-poll” will be conducted by the SC members at 1:30 pm EST, which will be incidentally candidate Nusseibeh’s first straw poll. Let us see what the council members will decide. The whole world is watching closely and with anticipation to see who will be the next leader of this great organization. @USUN @RussiaUN @franceonu @UKUN_NewYork @Chinamission2un