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President Yoweri Museveni has formally endorsed Ambassador Olara Otunnu as Uganda's candidate for the position of United Nations Secretary-General, presenting him to representatives of UN Security Council member states during a high-level meeting at State House Entebbe.
The endorsement marks Uganda's official entry into the race for the UN's top job, with Museveni pledging the government's full support in mobilising international backing for Otunnu's candidacy.
Introducing the veteran diplomat and former Uganda People's Congress (UPC) president to the envoys, Museveni described him as an experienced statesman whose long service within the UN system makes him well suited to lead the organisation at a time of growing global instability.
"He is really the type of person you will need in the UN system because he is very much aligned to it. I therefore hand over Olara Otunnu to you," Museveni said.
The President noted that he has known Otunnu since their student days at Makerere University and praised his fluency in both English and French, saying it is a significant diplomatic advantage for the position.
Museveni also used the meeting to highlight Uganda's record at the United Nations, pointing to the country's contribution to regional peacekeeping efforts and its longstanding open-door refugee policy.
"Uganda's credentials in the UN are many, but the uncontested ones are two: our contribution to regional security—I don't think anybody will say Uganda is not known for that—and our support for refugees. Our candidate comes from that background," he said.
Speaking after the endorsement,
Ambassador Otunnu thanked President Museveni and the government for their support, revealing that several members of the UN Security Council had sought assurances that Uganda was fully behind his candidacy, especially after previous unsuccessful bids by Ugandan nominees.
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Who is Olara Otunnu?
•Ambassador Olara Otunnu is one of Uganda's most accomplished diplomats and international civil servants. He served as Uganda's Permanent Representative to the United Nations from 1980 to 1985 before taking up senior leadership roles within the UN.
•From 1998 to 2005, he served as the United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, where he led global efforts to protect children affected by war, advocating for an end to the recruitment of child soldiers and other grave violations against children.
•Otunnu later returned to Ugandan politics, serving as president of the Uganda People's Congress (UPC) from 2010 to 2015 and contesting the 2011 presidential election.
•A lawyer by training, Otunnu studied at Makerere University before furthering his education at the University of Oxford. His decades of diplomatic experience, international negotiations and leadership within the UN system form the foundation of Uganda's campaign to secure the world's highest diplomatic office.
•Otunnu is credited with creating the "Otunnu Formula," the confidential straw-ballot voting system first used by the UN Security Council in 1981 to select the UN Secretary-General—a process that remains in use today.
1.Read more on jamiiforums.ug
2.Also read- Uganda's Nomination of Olara Otunnu for UN SG Came "30 years and many months later"
