#TheNGOBlueprint
According to the 2016 Uganda Demographic Survey, the youth in Uganda form the highest
population, with about 78% being under the age of 30 years. It is therefore important to
understand that the youth groups are so large that they are not just an interest group - it is
the country! They present huge challenges and opportunities for our country.
Civil Society Organizations are born out of passion and the desire to respond to a given
community challenge. These organizations operate under a legal framework that is set both
internally by their governance documents or externally by government. In Uganda, CSOs have
over 10 laws they are expected to comply with.
“We are not shifting power, what we need to shift is the spotlight on power. If for a long time, the spotlight has been on our power, it’s time to share the space, let’s shift it elsewhere. We keep giving spotlight on the things we complain about. In this discourse to tangibles, lets shift the spotlight, that’s the beginning. If media shifts attention to communities and as organizations, if shift that spotlight from the power we’ve been on to the others that exist, then we start to see traction” …
Civil society organisations have played a profound role in energizing citizens to take part in the governance processes of their communities.
As part of strengthening governance and accountability, Uganda National NGO Forum convened its 19th Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Thursday 29th July 2021.
The General Assembly of the Uganda National NGO Forum is the top policy forum and decision making organ of the organization. The AGM meets annually to review the progress on UNNGOF priorities, receive program and financial reports for approval.
“We don’t lack capacity but need capacity strengthening”
Today, Uganda is hosting more than 1.4 million refugees in various parts of the country, and the majority being hosted in the country’s poorest region. Uganda has been a haven for the refugees fleeing from DRC and South Sudan, even in the midst of a global crisis like COVID-19, the country has found ways to manage border restrictions in a manner which respects international human rights and refugee protection standards. The country has been praised for having one of the most progressive and generous refugee laws and policy regimes in the world.
With support from OXFAM and UNNGOF, the African Women and Youth Action for Development (AWYAD) in partnership with the Humanitarian platform rolled out two-day program focused on three domains; Importance, and strengthening the knowledge of women humanitarian leaders in humanitarian principles, such that they can ably design and implement humanitarian programs in line with the acceptable standards.
A 12-year old Justice Barack Edward from Green Hill Primary school challenges development practitioners not to leave children behind as they roll out SDGs campaign arguing that sustainable development can only be achieved if children are considered since they are the ultimate consumers of the services. Edward condemned the injustice against children like child negligence, domestic violence, teenage pregnancy, denial of education which all violate the SDGs 3, 4, 5, 16 among others.
As part of membership servicing, we visited our member Danish Refugee Council(DRC) yesterday and had an interaction with the Country Director, Head of Support Services and the Human Resource Director.