UAE's UN ambassador Lana Nusseibeh appointed as minister

President Sheikh Khalifa announced the latest addition to the country's ministerial ranks on Tuesday

Lana Nusseibeh, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the UAE to the UN, has been appointed a minister in the UAE Cabinet.

President Sheikh Khalifa has confirmed the appointment of Emirati diplomat Lana Nusseibeh as a minister.

He issued a federal decree granting her the title, state news agency Wam reported.

Ms Nusseibeh is the UAE's Permanent Representative to the UN and holds the role of Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation for Political Affairs.

She took on the position of UN envoy in 2013 and has since built up a wealth of experience in international diplomacy, including a stint as president of the UN Women Executive Board in 2017 and acted as co-facilitator of a working group set up to revitalise the UN General Assembly for its 71st session.

She received master's and bachelor's degrees in history from the University of Cambridge in the UK, and an master's with distinction in Israeli and Jewish diaspora studies from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, in 2003.

In October, she set out the UAE's strong stance on climate change.

Ms Nusseibeh issued a call for UN member states to take more steps to mitigate climate change, deliver on their commitments under the Paris accord and boost multilateral spending on climate adaptation.

“We also see that the timeline is getting shorter and shorter,” Ms Nusseibeh said during the online Atlantic Council panel detailing the UAE’s climate strategy.

The UAE was one of five countries elected to join the UN Security Council for a two-year term beginning next year.

Each candidate needed two thirds of the votes in the 193-nation UN General Assembly’s secret ballot held in June. The UAE received 179 votes.

Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, said that the Emirates was ready to "shoulder its share of responsibility for the world's most pressing challenges".

Ms Nusseibeh is the latest addition to the country's ministerial ranks.

New UAE Cabinet ministers were named in September after a reshuffle approved by President Sheikh Khalifa.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai unveiled the line-up, including several new ministers.