The Government of Uganda has officially nominated veteran diplomat and statesman Ambassador Olara Otunnu as its candidate for the position of United Nations Secretary-General.
In a statement on Sunday, July 26, Uganda’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Otunnu’s candidature has been formally submitted for consideration by United Nations member states.
“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,” read the statement.
The Ugandan government described Otunnu as a distinguished international civil servant whose career has spanned senior roles within the United Nations, national government, academia, and civil society.
Otunnu served as United Nations Under-Secretary-General and the first Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict between 1998 and 2005.
During that period, he spearheaded efforts to place the protection of children affected by armed conflict on the UN Security Council’s agenda and helped establish the compliance and monitoring framework adopted under Security Council Resolution 1612.
Otunnu also served as Uganda’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations from 1980 to 1985. While serving as President of the UN Security Council in December 1981.
At the national level, he served as Uganda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs between 1985 and 1986 and was a member of the Uganda National Consultative Council during the country’s transitional period following the fall of the Idi Amin regime.
Otunnu holds a Bachelor’s degree in Jurisprudence from Oxford University and a Master of Laws from Harvard Law School, and is fluent in English, French, and Luo.
“The Government of Uganda is confident that Ambassador Otunnu’s unique breadth of experience, spanning the UN Secretariat, the Security Council, national government, academia, and grassroots peacebuilding, makes him exceptionally well suited to lead the United Nations at this critical juncture in global affairs,” the statement added.
