Olara Otunnu - Career

Career

Olara Otunnu returned to his home country Uganda to run for president under the divided Uganda People's Congress. Former UPC president Miria Obote (wife to former Uganda President Milton Obote) stepped down from her seat after Otunnu was elected in a delegates conference where he beat her son, Jimmy Akena, in Lira Municipality to take up the seat. Olara Otunnu is already in talks with other political leaders over a possible coalition under the Inter Party Coalition. Olara Otunnu hails from Kitgum district in Northern Uganda.

Otunnu is the president of LBL Foundation for Children, a New York-based independent international organization devoted to promoting education and hope for children, particularly in poor, disadvantaged, and post-conflict communities.

From 1998 to 2005, Otunnu served as the UN Under-Secretary General and Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict. In that capacity he sought to develop and mobilize international action on behalf of children exposed to war, promoting measures for their protection in times of war and for their healing and social reintegration in the aftermath of conflict.

He was involved in developing UN Security Council Resolution 1612 (July 2005) on the protection of children. From 1990 to 1998 Otunnu was President of the International Peace Academy (now IPI), an international institution dedicated to promoting the prevention and settlement of armed conflict between and within states. Otunnu served as Minister for Foreign Affairs of Uganda from 1985 to 1986, and participated in the Uganda peace talks which culminated in the Nairobi Peace Agreement of December 1985. Subsequently, he returned to academia. From 1987 to 1989, he was affiliated with the Institut Français des Relations Internationales (IFRI) as Visiting Fellow, and with the American University in Paris as Visiting Professor.

From 1980 to 1985, Otunnu served as Uganda's Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations. He served as President of the Security Council (1981), as Vice-President of the General Assembly (1982–1983); as Chairman of the General Assembly Credentials Committee (1983–1984), Chairman of the Drafting Committee of the Ministerial Meeting of Non-Aligned Movement (1983); and as Chairman of the Contact Group on Global Negotiations (1982–1983).

Otunnu has served as a member of several eminent international commissions, including: Carnegie Commission on Preventing Deadly Conflict (1994 to 1997); Commission on Global Governance (1992–1995); International Panel on Management and Decision-Making in the United Nations (1986–1987); Group on Rethinking International Governance (1986–1990); United Nations Group of Experts on New Concepts of International Security (1984–1985); Commonwealth Group of Experts Study Group on the Security of Small States (1984–1985); International Task Force on Security Council Peace Enforcement and Regional Security Steering Committee of International Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS) in London. He is a member of the Club of Rome. Otunnu has been very active in many civic organizations. He currently serves on the boards of several prominent organizations, including: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace; Aspen Institute; International Selection Commission of the Philadelphia Liberty Medal; Aspen France; International Peace Academy; Jury for the Conrad Hilton Humanitarian Prize; Jury for the John P. McNulty Prize; and Patron for the World's Children's Prize.

Previously, Otunnu served on the boards of Carnegie Corporation of New York; Hampshire College; Makerere University Council; International Crisis Group (ICG); International Advisory Council of International Committee of the Red Cross; Council of African Advisers of the World Bank; International Patrons of the Refugee Studies Programme at Oxford University; Aspen Italia; and the Advisory Committee of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

In the 1970s, as president of Makerere Students' Guild and later as Secretary-General of Uganda Freedom Union, Otunnu participated in the resistance against the regime of Idi Amin. At the Moshi Unity Conference on Uganda (1979), Otunnu was elected to serve as a member of the Uganda National Consultative Council, the interim administration in the post-Amin period (1979–1980).