Veteran Ugandan diplomat joins crowded field for UN secretary-general post

Uganda has put forward Olara Otull, a 75-year-old former UN under-secretary-general and ex-foreign minister, as a contender for the secretary-general position that will be vacated by Antonio Guterres at the end of the year. Otull traveled to New York to engage with delegations from the General Assembly and the Security Council, navigating visa complications linked to U.S. Ebola prevention measures. His résumé includes serving as Uganda’s UN representative in the 1980s, a year as president of the Security Council, and leading the UN’s children-and-armed-conflict portfolio from 1997 to 2005.

Historically, the role rotates by region and this round is slated for a Latin American candidate, yet the selection process allows any qualified individual. The field also features Macky Sall of Senegal, former Chilean president Michelle Bachelet, Argentina’s nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi, Costa Rica’s Rebeca Grynspan, Ecuador’s Maria Fernanda Espinosa and Guyana’s Carolyn Rodrigues Birkett. The Security Council will vote, with the 193-member General Assembly giving final approval, and the winner is expected to assume office on 1 January.