AN Emirati official with Palestinian roots, Lana Nusseibeh has emerged as a late frontrunner in the race to lead the United Nations, campaigning on a reformist agenda and vowing to work for peace.

Since her official nomination last Wednesday, she has already garnered the backing of Gulf states but also faced scrutiny over her country's normalisation with Israel and Abu Dhabi's alleged role in Sudan's war.

If she succeeds, she would be the first woman and the second Arab to snatch the job in what would be a tour de force for the United Arab Emirates, a Middle East power that was under Iranian attack earlier this year.

In a campaign video, she vows if elected to "bring greater urgency to the work for peace" and "defend human rights", speaking in perfect English with a slight British accent.