KAMPALA, Uganda — Uganda has officially nominated seasoned diplomat Ambassador Olara Otunnu for the post of United Nations Secretary-General, positioning the former foreign minister and senior UN official as the country’s candidate to succeed António Guterres when his term ends later this year.
The nomination, announced on Sunday by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, marks Uganda’s formal entry into the race to lead the 193-member global body. Government officials said the decision reflects confidence in Otunnu’s decades-long record in international diplomacy, peacebuilding, and public service.
In a statement, the ministry said Otunnu has spent more than 40 years serving at the highest levels of global governance, including within the United Nations, Uganda’s diplomatic service, academia, and international peace institutions.
Otunnu is widely known for serving as the first United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, a position he held from 1998 to 2005. During his tenure, he successfully pushed for stronger international measures to protect children affected by war, helping secure the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1612, which established a monitoring and reporting mechanism for grave violations against children in conflict.
Before taking up that role, he represented Uganda at the United Nations as Ambassador and Permanent Representative from 1980 to 1985. While serving as President of the UN Security Council in December 1981, he introduced the informal straw-ballot system used to test support for candidates seeking the office of Secretary-General—a procedure that has since become a permanent feature of the UN selection process.
At the national level, Otunnu served as Uganda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs between 1985 and 1986 and was a member of the National Consultative Council during the country’s transition following the fall of Idi Amin’s government.
His career has also extended into academia and international policy. He served as President of the International Peace Academy, now known as the International Peace Institute, and has taught at institutions including Albany Law School in the United States, the American University of Paris, and France’s Institut Français des Relations Internationales.
The ministry further cited Otunnu’s international recognition, including the Sydney Peace Prize, the German Africa Prize, and the Harvard Law School Alumni Association Award, describing them as evidence of his contributions to peace, human rights, and international cooperation.
In recent years, Otunnu has co-led the Roco Paco peace initiative with Chief Justice Emeritus Alfonse Chigamoy Owiny-Dollo, an effort aimed at fostering reconciliation and rebuilding communities in northern Uganda after decades of conflict.
An Oxford University graduate with a law degree and a Master of Laws from Harvard Law School, Otunnu is fluent in English, French, and Luo.
The government said his experience across diplomacy, international security, governance, and grassroots peacebuilding makes him well suited to guide the United Nations through an increasingly complex global landscape.
The selection of the next UN Secretary-General is expected to begin in the coming months ahead of the expiry of António Guterres’ second and final term on December 31, 2026, with Uganda urging UN member states to support Otunnu’s candidacy.
