Uganda’s candidate for United Nations Secretary-General Olara Otunnu has highlighted his experience in UN leadership, diplomacy and grassroots peacebuilding as key expertise he would bring to the world body if elected.

Speaking during an interactive dialogue with UN member states and civil society in New York on Wednesday, August 19, Otunnu pointed to his work in northern Uganda, where he has spent the past five years supporting efforts to rebuild communities affected by more than two decades of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) conflict.

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"I have some idea what peace building means at the ground level,” Otunnu said.

He said his experience had reinforced his belief that the UN should not only develop policies and standards from its international centres, but also follow their impact at national and community levels.

"I believe that United Nations should make it its business to enunciate policies and standards from New York and Geneva and Vienna, but also follow to see the impact on the ground at the national and community level,” he said.

Otunnu brings more than four decades of experience across diplomacy, government, the UN system, academia and peacebuilding.

He served as Uganda’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the UN from 1980 to 1985 and as Foreign Minister from 1985 to 1986.

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He later served as UN Under-Secretary-General and Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict from 1998 to 2005, where he worked on strengthening the protection of children affected by war.

Otunnu also headed the International Peace Academy, now the International Peace Institute, from 1990 to 1998.

The 75-year-old is among eight candidates seeking to succeed António Guterres, whose second term ends on December 31 this year.

The other candidates are Michelle Bachelet, Rafael Grossi, Rebeca Grynspan, María Fernanda Espinosa, Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, Macky Sall and Ivonne Baki.

The Secretary-General will be appointed by the General Assembly following a recommendation from the UN Security Council.