Otunnu, a former UN under-secretary-general, is campaigning for the post following Uganda’s formal nomination on 24 July. His candidacy remains active on the United Nations’ official selection register, alongside six other contenders, after two other nominations were withdrawn.
The contest entered another stage this month as the United Arab Emirates nominated diplomat Lana Zaki Nusseibeh on 21 October. She participated in an interactive dialogue with member states on 27 October, adding another candidate to a field that includes senior diplomats and former government leaders.
Uganda has sought support through direct diplomatic engagement, including meetings with representatives of countries holding seats on the Security Council. President Yoweri Museveni presented Otunnu’s candidature to council representatives at State House in Entebbe on 9 August, reaffirming his government’s backing.
Otunnu subsequently met Chinese Vice-President Han Zheng on 26 September during the UN General Assembly gathering in New York. China holds a permanent Security Council seat and therefore has the power to block a recommendation, making its position important to every candidate.
Uganda’s diplomatic outreach has also extended to European capitals. Its embassy in Copenhagen said Otunnu visited Denmark in September with former prime minister Ruhakana Rugunda and was introduced to Danish foreign ministry officials for discussions about the selection process.
The General Assembly has organised public dialogues to give governments an opportunity to question nominees about their plans. Otunnu’s session took place after his nomination, which followed the July candidates’ town hall. Such exchanges form part of a process intended to make the appointment more transparent, although the decisive negotiations remain within the Security Council.
The Security Council has conducted successive informal straw polls since 30 July to assess support for candidates. The UN’s official selection record lists further rounds in August, September and October, including one on 16 October. Results have not been published, leaving the relative standing of individual candidates officially undisclosed.
Under Article 97 of the UN Charter, the Security Council recommends a candidate and the General Assembly makes the appointment. Any of the council’s five permanent members can prevent a recommendation through a veto. The successful candidate is expected to assume office on 1 January 2027, following the expiry of Guterres’s second term on 31 December.
The current field includes Argentina’s Rafael Mariano Grossi, Costa Rica’s Rebeca Grynspan, Ecuador’s María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés, Guyana’s Carolyn Rodrigues Birkett, Tonga’s Ivonne A-Baki and Otunnu, in addition to Nusseibeh. The candidacies of former Chilean president Michelle Bachelet and former Senegalese president Macky Sall have been withdrawn.
Bachelet’s nomination was withdrawn in September, while Burundi withdrew Sall’s nomination on 20 October. Their departures have changed the field without producing a publicly confirmed frontrunner. The council has not announced when it will make its recommendation to the General Assembly.
Otunnu outlined his priorities during an interactive dialogue with member states on 19 August. His published vision statement calls for strengthening the UN’s moral authority, institutional reform and greater attention to peace and security, economic development and environmental challenges.
His proposals include an international approach to governing artificial intelligence and measures to improve the organisation’s effectiveness. He has also emphasised conflict resolution and the need to reconcile climate action with the development requirements of poorer countries.
The selection comes as the UN faces pressure to improve coordination and control expenditure while responding to conflicts and humanitarian emergencies. Candidates must demonstrate both administrative competence and the diplomatic standing necessary to work with governments whose interests frequently diverge.
Otunnu previously served as the UN’s Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, a position he held from 1998 to 2005. His work helped bring the protection of children affected by warfare more firmly into the Security Council’s agenda.
He was Uganda’s permanent representative to the United Nations from 1980 to 1985 and later served as the country’s foreign minister. He also headed the International Peace Academy, now known as the International Peace Institute.
The UN requires nominated candidates to submit a vision statement, curriculum vitae and disclosure of campaign financing. Uganda’s nomination was circulated to member states through a joint communication from the presidents of the General Assembly and Security Council on 25 July.
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