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Uganda has nominated veteran diplomat Olara Otunnu for the position of United Nations secretary-general, the foreign ministry announced on Sunday.
Otunnu, a former UN under-secretary-general and Uganda’s ex-foreign minister, is the first candidate announced to succeed Antonio Guterres, whose term ends on December 31, 2026.
“Ambassador Otunnu brings to this candidature over four decades of distinguished service at the highest levels of international diplomacy, having served both within the United Nations system and in senior leadership roles across government, academia, and civil society,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.
Otunnu served as the first UN special representative for children and armed conflict from 1998 to 2005, during which he placed the protection of war-affected children on the Security Council’s agenda, according to the ministry.
He also served as Uganda’s ambassador to the UN from 1980 to 1985 and as president of the Security Council in December 1981, the statement said.
During his presidency, he introduced the straw-balloting system for electing the secretary-general, a procedure known as the “Otunnu Formula” that has guided every such election since 1981.
At the national level, Otunnu served as Uganda’s foreign minister from 1985 to 1986, the ministry said. He later led the International Peace Academy, now the International Peace Institute, as president from 1990 to 1998.
His contributions to international peace have been recognised with the Sydney Peace Prize in 2005 and the German Africa Prize in 2002.
Otunnu holds a bachelor’s degree in jurisprudence from Oxford University and a master of Laws from Harvard Law School, according to the statement.
The Ugandan government called on UN member states to support his candidature.
“The Government of Uganda calls on Member States of the United Nations to give Ambassador Otunnu’s candidature their utmost support,” the ministry said.
𝐔𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚 𝐀𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐀𝐦𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐫 𝐎𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐚 𝐎𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐮’𝐬 𝐂𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐔𝐍 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐲-𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥
The Government of Uganda has nominated Ambassador Olara Otunnu for the position of United Nations Secretary-General, presenting a… pic.twitter.com/QZlIbNnca5
— Government of Uganda (@GovUganda) July 26, 2026
