Olara Otunnu, United Nations Under Secretary-General for the Protection of Children in Armed Conflict, has been hailed for his commitment to human rights and efforts to protect children in times of war.
"I am very honoured to receive a Peace Prize which has been previously awarded to eminent advocates of peace and human rights," the Ugandan said from New York.

"This award also recognises the efforts of the United Nations to outlaw and end the use and brutalisation of children in situations of armed conflict."

In the 1970s, as president of the Makerere students' union and later as Secretary-General of the Uganda Freedom Union, Otunnu played a leading role in the resistance against the regime of Idi Amin.

From 1980 to 1985, Otunnu served as Uganda's Permanent Representative to the UN before becoming Uganda's foreign minister from 1985 to 1986.

From 1990 until 1998 he was president of the International Peace Academy.

He has taught at Albany Law School and the American University in Paris and also practised law at the firm of Chadbourne & Parke in New York.

Otunnu was educated at Budo, Makere University, Oxford University, and Harvard University where he was a Fulbright scholar.

Otunnu will travel to Australia to give the City of Sydney Peace Prize lecture on November 3, and will receive his award at a gala ceremony at the University of Sydney the following day.

Previous recipients of the Sydney Peace Prize include Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa, President Xanana Gusmao of East Timor and the former governor general of Australia, Sir William Deane.

From: AAP