Former State Minister for Foreign Affairs Henry Okello Oryem has welcomed President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni’s nomination of veteran diplomat Dr Olara Otunnu for the position of United Nations Secretary-General, describing it as a historic and strategic decision that elevates Uganda and Africa on the global stage.
Speaking to Uganda Radio Network, Oryem said the nomination demonstrated President Museveni’s long-term diplomatic vision rather than a pursuit of domestic political advantage. He thanked the President for what he called a timely and historic decision to nominate Otunnu, saying it offered “a son of the soil” the opportunity to represent both Uganda and Africa in one of the world’s most influential offices.
He urged Ugandans to unite behind Otunnu’s candidacy, noting that the race for the UN’s top diplomatic post would be highly competitive but carried enormous significance for the country and the continent. Oryem also rejected suggestions that the nomination was intended to improve President Museveni’s political relationship with the Acholi community, where Otunnu hails from.
He argued that the President’s strategic decisions have consistently been guided by broader national, regional and Pan-African interests rather than narrow political considerations. According to Oryem, Uganda’s endorsement of Otunnu should be viewed as a calculated diplomatic investment with the potential to strengthen both the country’s and Africa’s influence within the United Nations.
He said that if Otunnu were elected Secretary-General, the achievement would represent not just a domestic political milestone but a major diplomatic victory for the entire African continent. In an exclusive interview with Uganda Radio Network on Tuesday, Otunnu welcomed the government’s decision to nominate him, describing it as a great honour bestowed on him by President Museveni, the government and the people of Uganda. Otunnu joins a highly competitive field of candidates seeking to succeed António Guterres as the next UN Secretary-General.
The contenders include Rebeca Grynspan of Costa Rica, a former Vice President and one of the early frontrunners in United Nations Security Council straw polls, Rafael Grossi of Argentina, the Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, María Fernanda Espinosa of Ecuador, a former President of the UN General Assembly, former Senegalese President Macky Sall, and Carolyn Rodrigues Birkett of Guyana.Otunnu has had a distinguished international career.
He served as Uganda’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations from 1980 to 1985 before becoming Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1985 to 1986. Between 1997 and 2005, he served as the United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict. A former critic of President Museveni, Otunnu returned to Uganda in November 2009 after more than two decades in exile.
He later led the opposition Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) from 2010 to 2015 and contested against Museveni in the 2011 presidential election, which he lost. Despite their past political rivalry, his nomination now marks a rare moment of bipartisan national support for Uganda’s bid to secure one of the highest offices in international diplomacy. URN