KAMPALA, Uganda — July 26, 2026 — The Government of Uganda has officially nominated veteran diplomat and former Foreign Affairs Minister Ambassador Olara Otunnu as its candidate for the position of United Nations Secretary-General, launching a bid to place a Ugandan at the helm of the world’s largest international organisation.
The announcement was made on Sunday in a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which described Otunnu as a distinguished statesman with more than four decades of experience in international diplomacy, government, academia and peacebuilding.
The government said Otunnu’s extensive service within the United Nations system and Uganda’s foreign service makes him exceptionally qualified to lead the organisation at a time of mounting global security, humanitarian and development challenges.
Otunnu previously served as the United Nations Under-Secretary-General and became the first Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict between 1998 and 2005. During his tenure, he helped elevate the protection of children affected by war to the agenda of the UN Security Council and played a central role in developing the monitoring and compliance mechanism established under Security Council Resolution 1612, which continues to guide international efforts to protect children in conflict zones.
His diplomatic career also includes serving as Uganda’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations from 1980 to 1985. While presiding over the UN Security Council in December 1981, Otunnu introduced the informal straw-ballot voting procedure used to assess candidates for Secretary-General. The process later became widely known as the “Otunnu Formula” and has remained a key feature of UN Secretary-General selections ever since.
At home, Otunnu served as Uganda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs between 1985 and 1986 and was also a member of the Uganda National Consultative Council during the country’s transitional government following the fall of Idi Amin’s regime.
Beyond government service, he led the International Peace Academy—now the International Peace Institute—as president from 1990 to 1998. He has also held academic appointments at Albany Law School, the American University in Paris, and the Institut Français des Relations Internationales.
The Ministry highlighted Otunnu’s longstanding contributions to international peace and human rights, noting that he has received several prestigious honours, including the Sydney Peace Prize (2005), the German Africa Prize (2002) and the Harvard Law School Alumni Association Award (2007).
In recent years, Otunnu has co-led the Roco Paco peacebuilding initiative alongside Chief Justice Emeritus Alfonse Chigamoy Owiny-Dollo, an effort aimed at promoting reconciliation and rebuilding communities in northern Uganda after decades of armed conflict.
An Oxford University graduate in jurisprudence and holder of a Master of Laws degree from Harvard Law School, Otunnu is fluent in English, French and Luo.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Uganda believes his experience across the UN Secretariat, Security Council, national government, academia and grassroots peacebuilding uniquely positions him to lead the United Nations during a critical period in global affairs.
The current UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, is expected to complete his second term on December 31, 2026. Uganda has called upon member states of the United Nations to support Ambassador Otunnu’s candidature as the selection process begins.
