Veteran Ugandan diplomat Olara Otunnu has thrown his name into the contest to lead the United Nations, becoming the seventh candidate vying to replace Antonio Guterres when his term ends in December.
Uganda formally nominated Otunnu on Friday in letters to the heads of the UN General Assembly and Security Council, according to a Reuters report dated July 26.
At 75, Otunnu is the oldest in the current lineup. He previously served at the UN as an under-secretary-general and as special representative for children and armed conflict.
In his vision statement, Otunnu said the UN needs to keep pushing institutional reforms. He listed three immediate priorities: helping to end major international conflicts, creating a dedicated body to oversee the UN’s work on artificial intelligence, and pursuing climate action that doesn’t hurt economic development.
Guterres’ successor will inherit an organization facing tough questions about its relevance, budget and structure. Member states are pressing for cuts to duplication across agencies and a leaner bureaucracy.
Otunnu joins a diverse group of contenders:
- Rafael Grossi of Argentina, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency
- Michelle Bachelet, former president of Chile
- Rebeca Grynspan, former vice president of Costa Rica
- Maria Fernanda Espinosa, former foreign and defense minister of Ecuador
- Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, former foreign minister of Guyana
- Macky Sall, former president of Senegal
The selection process ramps up this week with informal straw polls in the 15-member Security Council designed to narrow the field. More candidates could still enter.
Diplomats note there is no clear frontrunner yet. There’s broad talk that it may be Latin America’s turn, and significant support for electing the first woman to the post. But the decisive hurdle remains the same: avoiding a veto from any of the five permanent Security Council members, especially China, Russia or the United States.
