Uganda nominates Olara Otunnu for UN secretary-general post
By Faith Lagat, July 26, 2026The Government of the Republic of Uganda has formally nominated Ambassador Olara Otunnu, a veteran diplomat and international civil servant, as its candidate for the post of United Nations Secretary-General.
The announcement was made in a press release issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and shared through the ministry’s official X account on Sunday, July 26, 2026.
Ambassador Otunnu’s candidature draws on more than four decades of experience spanning the United Nations system, national government, academia and civil society.
“The Government of the Republic of Uganda has nominated and submitted the candidature of Ambassador Olara Otunnu, a distinguished Ugandan statesman and international civil servant, for the post of Secretary-General of the United Nations,” the X post read in part.
UN diplomatic experience
Within the UN, Otunnu served as Under-Secretary-General and the first Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict from 1998 to 2005.
In that role, he elevated the protection of war-affected children onto the Security Council’s agenda and designed the monitoring and compliance mechanism later formalised under Security Council Resolution 1612 (2005), a framework that continues to operate today.
Earlier, Otunnu represented Uganda as Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations from 1980 to 1985.
In December 1981, he presided over the Security Council and introduced the straw-balloting procedure for electing the Secretary-General, a method known as the “Otunnu Formula” that has been used in every subsequent selection process.
National leadership and peacebuilding
At home, Otunnu served as Uganda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs between 1985 and 1986 and sat on the National Consultative Council during the country’s transitional period following the fall of Idi Amin.
From 1990 to 1998, he served as president of the International Peace Academy, now known as the International Peace Institute.
He has also held academic positions at Albany Law School, the American University in Paris and the Institut Français des Relations Internationales.
His contributions to peace and human rights have been recognised through 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 Roco Paco, a community-based peacebuilding initiative in northern Uganda, alongside Chief Justice Emeritus Alfonse Chigamoy Owiny-Dollo to support healing after more than two decades of conflict.
Uganda seeks global backing
Otunnu holds a Bachelor’s degree in Jurisprudence from Oxford University and a Master of Laws from Harvard Law School. He is fluent in English, French and Luo.
The current United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, will complete his term on December 31, 2026.
Uganda said Otunnu’s experience across the UN Secretariat, the Security Council, national government, academia and grassroots peacebuilding positions him to lead the organisation at a critical moment in global affairs.
The government has called on all United Nations Member States to support Otunnu’s candidature.
The nomination was signed by Permanent Secretary Bagire Vincent Waiswa on behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.