Uganda Nominates Diplomat Olara Otunnu as Candidate for UN Secretary-General

Uganda has nominated seasoned diplomat Olara Otunnu for the position of United Nations Secretary-General, adding a seventh candidate to the race to succeed António Guterres when his second term ends on 31 December 2026, according to a report by Reuters (usnews.com).

The nomination was formally submitted by Uganda’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations on 24 July 2026. The following day, United Nations General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock and Security Council President Zenon Ngay Mukongo circulated a joint letter to all 193 member states confirming that “the Republic of Uganda has presented the nomination of Mr. Olara Otunnu as candidate for the position of Secretary-General,” as detailed by ChimpReports (chimpreports.com) and Daily Star (dailystar.co.ug).

Otunnu, 75, is the oldest of the current candidates. He previously served as Uganda’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations from 1980 to 1985, during which he was President of the Security Council in December 1981 and is credited with introducing the informal straw-ballot system still used in Secretary-General selection processes (dailystar.co.ug). He later served as Uganda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1985 to 1986.

From 1990 to 1998, Otunnu was President of the International Peace Academy (now the International Peace Institute). In 1997, then-Secretary-General Kofi Annan appointed him Under-Secretary-General and Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, a role he held until 2005. In that capacity, he advanced the protection of children in war, contributing to the adoption of Security Council Resolution 1612 establishing a monitoring and reporting mechanism on grave violations against children (childrenandarmedconflict.un.org; thekenyatimes.com).

In his vision statement accompanying the nomination, Otunnu stated that the United Nations stands “at a historic moment,” confronting wars, climate change and rapid advances in artificial intelligence. He stressed the need to continue institutional reforms, restore the organisation’s moral authority, and establish a dedicated UN body to develop global rules for artificial intelligence. He said he would give immediate priority to efforts to help end major international conflicts, identifying Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Iran as key areas requiring renewed diplomacy. Otunnu also highlighted climate change action that does not undermine economic development and described the need for a Secretary-General who is “proactive, is a bridge builder and is able to propose creative solutions in difficult situations,” according to ChimpReports (chimpreports.com) and Reuters (usnews.com).

The other candidates currently in the race are Rafael Grossi of Argentina, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency; former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet; Rebeca Grynspan of Costa Rica; María Fernanda Espinosa of Ecuador; Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett of Guyana; and Macky Sall, former president of Senegal (usnews.com; bssnews.net).

The selection process is expected to intensify with straw polls in the 15-member Security Council. A candidate requires nine votes without a veto from any of the five permanent members before the name is forwarded to the General Assembly for appointment. The next Secretary-General is due to take office on 1 January 2027 (bssnews.net).

Uganda’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has described Otunnu as bringing more than four decades of experience in international diplomacy, government, academia and civil society (kenyans.co.ke).