Olara (A) Otunnu

Ugandan statesman, human rights activist, and UN special representative for children in armed conflict, born in Mucwini, N Uganda. He studied at Makerere, Oxford, and Harvard, where he was a Fulbright scholar. He taught law at Albany Law School (USA) then acted as secretary-general of the Ugandan Freedom Union, where he played a leading role in the resistance against the Amin regime. Elected a member of the post-Amin administration (1979–80), he went on to represent Uganda in the UN (1980–5). He served briefly as Ugandan minister for foreign affairs before returning to academic work. President of the International Peace Academy (1990– ), he was invited to become the UN secretary-general's special representative in 1997.

From 1997 to 2005, Mr. Otunnu served as the UN Under-Secretary General and Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict. In that capacity he spearheaded the international campaign to develop and mobilize international action on behalf of children exposed to war, serving as advocate and moral voice for them, promoting measures for their protection in times of war and for their healing and social reintegration in the aftermath of conflict. The compliance regime establishes a comprehensive, international monitoring and reporting system to document abuses against children, seeks to identify and publicly list offending parties responsible for abusing and brutalizing children, and seeks to bring these offenders into compliance with international laws and standards, including through the imposition of sanctions.

From 1990 to 1997 Mr. Otunnu was President of the International Peace Academy (IPA). Mr. Otunnu is widely recognized for his contributions to international peace and security, conflict prevention, reform of multilateral institutions, human rights, and the future of Africa.

Born in Mucwini in Uganda, Mr. Otunnu received his early education at Gulu High School and King's College Budo.

In the 1970s, as President of Makerere students union and later as Secretary-General of Uganda Freedom Union, Mr. Otunnu played a leading role in the resistance against the regime of Idi Amin. At the Moshi Unity Conference on Uganda (1979), Mr. Otunnu was elected to serve as a member of the Uganda National Consultative Council, the interim administration in the post-Amin period (1979-1980).

From 1980 to 1985, Mr. Otunnu served as Uganda's Permanent Representative to the United Nations.

Mr. Otunnu served as Minister for Foreign Affairs of Uganda from 1985 to 1986, during which time he played a prominent role in the Uganda peace talks culminating in the Nairobi Agreement of December 1985.

Mr. Otunnu is active in many civic initiatives and organizations. He currently serves on the boards of several organizations, including the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, the Aspen Institute, Carnegie Corporation of New York, the International Selection Commission of the Philadelphia Liberty Medal, Aspen France, and the Jury for the Hilton Humanitarian Prize.

Mr. Otunnu has received several major awards, including the German Africa Prize (2002) and the Sydney Peace Prize (2005).