Race for UN top job: Otunnu faces member states today

Otunnu Presents Vision to Member States

Uganda's candidate for the United Nations secretary-general post, Dr. Olara Otunnu, presented his vision for the global organisation to member states on August 19, fielding questions on his leadership experience, qualifications, and the future of the UN's three pillars: peace and security, development, and human rights. The interactive dialogue, held at UN headquarters in New York at 3:00pm local time (10:00pm in Uganda and East Africa), marked Otunnu's entry into the public hustings after his nomination by the Ugandan government on July 24. He was the last of the eight candidates to face member states in this format.

Otunnu, 75, brings decades of UN experience to the contest. He served as Uganda's ambassador and permanent representative to the UN from 1980 to 1985, presided over the UN Security Council in the 1980s, and later served as under-secretary-general for children and armed conflict from 1998 to 2005. According to Uganda's Permanent Representative, Vincent Bagiire, the nomination reflects Uganda's leadership in critical UN organs, citing Sam Kutesa's past presidency of the UN General Assembly. Former Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda is heading Otunnu's campaign.

A Reform Agenda

Otunnu used his dialogue to stress the urgency of reforming the UN, echoing a theme that has run through the campaign. Quoting the Prayer of St. Francis, he invoked the need to bridge growing global divisions. He then issued a stark warning: "Reform is no longer an optional choice. It is an imperative. Without it, the institution is at grave risk. We cannot continue to do business as usual."

The call for reform comes as the next secretary-general inherits an organisation described as in crisis and declining stature, under pressure to address what critics call a bloated, costly bureaucracy and reduce duplication across its agencies. The challenge, as reported by The EastAfrican, is a central issue for the successor to current UN chief António Guterres, who steps down at the end of the year after two five-year terms.

The Selection Process

The formal selection process was initiated through a joint letter from the President of the General Assembly and the President of the Security Council dated November 25, 2025. General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock has committed to guiding the process in a transparent and inclusive manner. "The selection of the secretary-general has widespread consequences that resonate far beyond this building," she said. "Our choice will shape the direction of the world's unique multilateral organisation and demonstrate whether the United Nations truly represents the more than eight billion people we serve around the world, half of whom are women and girls."

Otunnu is also scheduled to address the UN Security Council on August 20. The council, currently chaired by Denmark, plans to hold a second informal poll among its 15 members on Friday. A first straw poll at the end of July showed former Costa Rican Vice President Rebeca Grynspan as a narrow frontrunner, followed by former Guyanese Foreign Minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett and Argentina's Rafael Grossi, head of the UN nuclear watchdog.

Precedent suggests that multiple rounds of polling could continue in the coming weeks and conclude in late September or early October. Other candidates can still join the contest, and avoiding a veto by any of the five permanent members—China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States—is considered vital, given their widely differing worldviews.

The Field of Candidates

Otunnu is one of eight candidates in the race. The others include former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, former Ecuadorean Foreign Minister Maria Fernanda Espinosa, and former Senegalese President Macky Sall, as well as Ecuadorean diplomat Ivonne Baki, who joined the contest on Tuesday. At 75, Otunnu is the oldest candidate; Baki is also 75 but born several months later.

Otunnu, who told the media he knows the United Nations "like the back of his hand," is one of only two African candidates in the race. Only two Africans have previously served as UN Secretary-General: Boutros Boutros-Ghali and Kofi Annan.