President Yoweri Museveni has personally stepped into Uganda’s campaign to revive Ambassador Olara Otunnu’s struggling bid for the position of United Nations Secretary-General after the veteran diplomat finished last in the first informal Security Council straw poll.
During a high-level meeting at State House Entebbe on Monday, Museveni appealed to ambassadors representing members of the U.N. Security Council to throw their support behind Otunnu, describing him as the right leader to steer the global body through a period of increasing international instability.
The meeting marks the beginning of an aggressive diplomatic campaign by Uganda as further confidential Security Council voting rounds approach. The Council will eventually recommend one candidate to the U.N. General Assembly to replace António Guterres, whose second and final term expires this year.
Introducing Uganda’s candidate to diplomats, Museveni praised Otunnu’s long service within the United Nations system, arguing that his vast international experience makes him uniquely qualified for the world’s top diplomatic job.
“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 revealed that he has known Otunnu since their student days at Makerere University, where Otunnu served as Guild President, and commended his diplomatic credentials, multilingual ability and global exposure.
“He speaks English and French very well without a tribal accent, so I hand Ambassador Olara Otunnu to you so that he can brief you himself,” Museveni added.
Museveni argued that Uganda’s strongest selling points at the United Nations remain its contribution to regional peace and security and its internationally recognised 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,” Museveni said.
The President also claimed Uganda had made progress in democratic governance, although he acknowledged that some countries may hold different views.
“Of course, we are also excelling in democracy, although others may have different views, which I will not insist upon.”
Speaking after Museveni’s endorsement, Ambassador Otunnu welcomed the President’s public backing, saying several Security Council members had privately sought confirmation that Uganda remained fully committed to his candidacy following his earlier unsuccessful attempts to secure the post.
Otunnu highlighted his decades-long international career, which includes serving as Uganda’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, President of the U.N. Security Council, Chairperson of the U.N. Commission on Human Rights, President of the International Peace Academy (now the International Peace Institute), and U.N. Under-Secretary-General and Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict.
He also unveiled a reform agenda aimed at improving efficiency, accountability and coordination within the United Nations while calling for greater support for developing countries through sustainable financing mechanisms.
Otunnu further pledged to champion transparency, merit-based appointments, inclusivity and stronger international cooperation on emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence.
Museveni announced that Uganda would dispatch a high-powered delegation led by former Prime Minister Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda to lobby governments before the next rounds of Security Council voting.
“We are going to send our delegation led by Dr. Rugunda to your capitals,” Museveni told the diplomats.
The meeting was attended by ambassadors representing both permanent and non-permanent members of the Security Council, including Somalia, Denmark, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Pakistan, Russia, the United Kingdom, France and the United States.
According to the Presidency, the diplomats welcomed the engagement, acknowledged Uganda’s contribution to peace and security in the Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes region, and recognised the country’s refugee policy as one of its strongest international credentials.
Uganda’s renewed diplomatic offensive comes after Otunnu suffered a disappointing performance in the first informal Security Council straw poll, where he received only two “encourage” votes, five “discourage” votes, and eight “no opinion” votes, placing him last among the seven candidates in the race.
However, diplomats note that the straw polls are confidential and non-binding, serving only to gauge initial support. Several additional rounds of voting are expected before the Security Council settles on a single nominee to recommend to the U.N. General Assembly.
With Museveni now personally leading the campaign and deploying senior government officials to lobby key capitals, Uganda hopes the coming rounds of voting will significantly improve Otunnu’s standing in one of the world’s most competitive diplomatic contests.
