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Eoc launches 10th annual report on the state of equal opportunities in Uganda

by editoreoc November 8, 2023

The Equal Opportunities Commission yesterday launched the 10TH ANNUAL REPORT ON THE STATE OF EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES IN UGANDA at the Sheraton Hotel.

At an event graced by Ministers, Members of Parliament, high-level staff from various MDAs and Local Governments as well as delegates from the Civil Society fraternity, the Report was launched by the Guest of Honour Hon. Betty Among, the Minister for Gender, Labour and Social Development.

She lauded the Commission for the insightful findings and urged the government to use the report as a referral basis when making future decisions.

Some of the key highlights from the report were the decline in compliance to gender and equity budgeting requirements, the regional imbalance in high-level government jobs, and the effect of corruption on service delivery.

You can access the report here:

EOC Annual Report 2023

November 8, 2023 113 views

BFP events G&E Launches Media

The Commission holds a Dialogue on Financing for Gender Equality and Development

by Kevin April 20, 2023

The Commission in partnership with UN_Women Ministry of Gender Labour and Social Development and @CSBAGUGANDA

held a Dialogue on Financing for Gender Equality and Development on 19th April 2023 at Sheraton Hotel.

The Policy Dialogue was held under the theme “The impact of the national budgets on the delivery of Gender Equality and Reducing Vulnerabilities to accelerate the achievement of the NDP III targets & SDGs”.

The focus was on accelerating the implementation of NDP III and Sustainable Development Goals, with the need to prioritize Gender Equality and Vulnerability reduction through budget allocations.

The Chairperson of the Commission, Hon. Safia Nalule Juuko presented findings from the Commission that highlighted funding gaps such as:

Reduction of the Agro-Industrialisation Budget from 1,666.9 billion (FY 2022/23) to 1,329 Billion in 2023/24.
Eviction of poor people from their land especially in the Buganda Region.
The availability of equipment and teachers to promote science teaching is highly limited, despite Sciences being a priority area for the Government
Uganda’s health sector remains significantly underfunded, mainly
relying on private sources of financing, especially out-of-pocket spending. At 9.6 % of total government expenditure, public spending
on health is far below the Abuja target of 15% that GoU committed to.
High cost of education
Limited funding towards management of Externalization of Labour.
Financing Road Safety Measures to reduce the high rate of Road Accidents
Low investment in employment-led ventures which has propelled youth unemployment
The plight of ethnic minorities; The Ugandan Constitution currently recognizes 67 ethnic groups and yet there are other ethnic minorities that are not
recognized. They are denied National IDs, which affects their access to essential social services.
Inadequate Financing towards cancer treatment; The burden of cancer in the country is projected to reach 40% in 2030 due to
changes in risk factors and population growth rate.

Measures Taken by EOC to Enforce GEB
i. The Commission has engaged with all the representatives of the vulnerable persons and profiled the needs of each constituency.
ii. The Commission has had a series of Engagements with the various Committees of Parliament on the enforcement of compliance with gender and equity requirements for non-compliant MDAs.
iii. The Commission has severally summoned non-compliant MDAs and made commitments with them to address issues of concern.
iv. The Commission has also developed a series of guidelines on gender and equity planning and budgeting. Plans are underway to develop more vote-specific guidelines.
v. The Commission has also supported various MDAs and built staff capacity in Gender and Equity Planning and Budgeting.
vi. Annually assessed the MPSs and BFPs for Compliance with G&E

Recommendations by the Commission:

i. All MDAs with the support of the Uganda Bureau of Statistics should embrace data disaggregation at all levels and with respect to Gender & Equity
ii. Parliament should invoke its powers and enforce sections 78 and 79 of the PFMA with respect to Gender & Equity
iii. GoU should fulfill its commitment under the Maputo Protocol of appropriating 15% of its National Budget towards Health Care. This will help in addressing a number of Health
Gaps that relate to gender and equity issues.

iv. MDAs should commit to redressing imbalances which exist through the allocation of financial resources to specific measures
as provided for in the PFMA, 2015.
v. GoU should enhance funding for agriculture, education, and Health including solving the land eviction question.
vi. MDAs with support from UBOS and EOC should endeavor to disaggregate their data.
vii. Introduce the Gender Aware Statement under the Public Budgeting System

April 20, 2023 30 views

BFP events G&E Media

3 Day Dialogue to deliberate on issues of discrimination, marginalization and exclusion against youth, older persons, women, children and people with disabilities, that must be addressed by MDAs in the National Budget for the FY23/24

by Kevin February 2, 2023

3 DAY DIALOGUE TO DELIBERATE ON ISSUES OF DISCRIMINATION, MARGINALIZATION AND EXCLUSION AGAINST YOUTH, OLDER PERSONS, WOMEN, CHILDREN AND PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES, THAT MUST BE ADDRESSED BY MDAS IN THE NATIONAL BUDGET FOR THE FY23/24

The Equal Opportunities Commission held a 3 day Dialogue at the Commission headquarters at Kingdom Kampala to deliberate on issues of discrimination, marginalization and exclusion against youth, older persons, women, children and people with disabilities, which must be addressed by MDAs in the National Budget for the FY23/24.

The Dialogue was spearheaded by the Chairperson of the Commission, Hon. Safia Nalule Juuko, and graced by various honorable guests including Members of Parliament, Committee members, and Commissioners from various Ministries.

Through audits like the Annual Report on the State of Equal Opportunities, the Commission has assessed the participation of Youth, Women, People with Disabilities, and Older Persons in development programs and made recommendations for their increased participation and benefit.

The Assessment of the MDA Budget Framework Papers also unfortunately showed a decline in compliance to Gender and Equity requirements compared to the previous financial year.

Some of the issues discussed included:

More decentralization to guide funds to the Youth, Women, People with Disabilities, and Older Persons
Ring-fencing opportunities for the Youth, Women, People with Disabilities, and Older Persons
Mental health awareness and support for the Youth, Women, People with Disabilities, and Older Persons
Deliberate involvement of the Youth, Women, People with Disabilities, and Older Persons in programs and initiatives
Discrimination of vulnerable Youth, Women, People with Disabilities, and Older Persons from scholarships and beneficial programs in favor of their
better placed and connected counterparts

There were also two relatively new key issues raised in the Dialogue by Hon. Sarah Opendi:

1. Sex Trafficking here in Uganda, where women and girls are deceptively recruited and forced into captive sex work. This is an alarming development and needs to be crushed before it can grow and spread.

2. Inattention to deadly diseases like sickle cells, which has a survival rate of less than 20% for babies born with it. She emphasized the need for couples need to get tested before having children so as to avoid such predicaments.

More pictures form the Dialogue.

February 2, 2023 61 views

Mr. Patrick Ocailap (center) - Deputy Secretary to the Treasury receiving the assessment report from Mrs. Sylvia Muwebwa Ntambi – Chairperson to the Commission in the presence of other officials from the ministry

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THE MINISTRY OF FINANCE, PLANNING AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT (MOFPED) RECEIVES THE COMMISSION’S ASSESSEMENT REPORT ON MINISTERIAL POLICY STATEMENTS FINANCIAL YEAR (FY) 2017/2018

by Kevin April 22, 2020

Mr. Patrick Ocailap (center) – Deputy Secretary to the Treasury receiving the assessment report from Mrs. Sylvia Muwebwa Ntambi – Chairperson to the Commission in the presence of other officials from the ministry

On 5th April 2017, the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) met staff of the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development at the Ministry’s head office in Kampala to hand over the Commission’s report on the assessment results on Compliance of Ministerial Policy Statements with gender and equity requirements for the Financial Year 2017/2018.

On behalf of the Secretary to the Treasury, the report was received by Mr. Patrick Ocailap – Deputy Secretary to the Treasury. Other staff of the Ministry who attended the meeting was Mr. Godwin Kakama – Commissioner Budget Policy, Mr. Moses Zziwa – Assistant Commissioner, Mr. Robert Sekate – Acting Principal Budget Officer and Sylvia Tereka – Gender Advisor at the Ministry.

The EOC was represented by the Chairperson – Mrs. Sylvia Muwebwa Ntambi, Mr. Evans Jjemba – the Senior Compliance and Reporting Officer and Mr. James Mugisha – Senior Planner and Economist

In response to the assessment findings presented by the Commission’s Chairperson, Mr. Ocailap applauded the Equal Opportunities Commission for finalizing the assessments in time especially since most of the Ministries, Departments and Agencies had submitted their Ministerial Policy Statements after the deadline. He further intimated that the Ministry did not expect the Commission to meet the legal requirements of the PFMA but was glad it did.

Having received the assessment results, Mr. Ocailap informed the meeting that the ministry will be preparing the gender and equity compliance certificates for institutions which attained the minimum score and make submissions to Parliament. He added that when allocating funds in the next Financial Year (FY), Parliament will summon votes which did not meet the minimum score to explain why they performed below the minimum requirement. He pledged to hand the Minister the assessment report findings and to ensure the Commission’s recommendations are adhered to.

Mrs. Sylvia Muwebwa Ntambi presenting the assessment results to Mr. Ocailap and other officials from the ministry as Mr. Evans Jjemba – Principal Compliance Officer and Mr. James Mugisha – Senior Planner and Economist look on

In her presentation, Mrs. Sylvia Muwebwa Ntambi informed the Ministry officials the purpose of the Gender and Equity assessment, the assessment tools used, general observations, challenges encountered during the assessments among others. She went ahead and explained that Parliament resolved and directed the Commission to raise the Gender and Equity compliance minimum mark from 40% to 50%. As a result, assessments were made basing on this and were in total 133 Votes. However, she informed the meeting that the Commission was in its report, presenting results of only 101 votes which had made submissions by Friday 24th March 2017. Of these, 79 scored the set minimum mark while 22 were unable to reach the minimum mark. Assessment results for the remaining 32 Votes whose submissions were made late would be ready on 3rd April 2017 while those that had not submitted would meet their assessment costs and their results would be availed 5 days after submission. Overall, the national compliance to Gender and Equity requirements for the FY 2017/2018 was 51% as compared to 53% for the FY 2016/2017.

Among the recommendations she made included the Commission’s call to MDAs which did not meet the minimum score and those with challenges of discerning Gender and Equity in their Ministerial Policy Statements to seek guidance from the Commission. MDAs were also requested to nominate focal persons whom the Commission should liaise with on Gender and Equity matters as a short term measure but in future hire technical advisors for Gender and Equity mainstreaming.

Representatives from the Ministry of Finance Planning and Economic Development and the Equal Opportunities Commission during the hand over meeting

To the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development (MoFPED), recommendations made included denial of Gender and Equity compliance certificates to the 22 votes that did not achieve the minimum qualifying score until they fulfill the necessary requirements. It was also recommended that the 79 sectors which met the minimum score of 50% and above be issued the Certificate of Gender and Equity Compliance as per the relevant section(s) of the PFMA 2015.

Following this meeting, the Commission convened a press conference on 5th April 2017 during which it released the assessment findings to the Public. The Commission commends the 79 Votes which passed the assessment score card and encourages all MDAs to mainstream gender and equity issues in their plans and budgets.

Mrs. Sylvia Muwebwa Ntambi – Chairperson to the Commission and Mr. Dennis Nduhura – Vice Chairperson to the Commission during the press conference.

April 22, 2020 32 views

Mrs. Sylvia Muwebwa Ntambi giving her remarks at the stakeholders’ forum.

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STATEMENT BY THE CHAIRPERSON AT THE GENDER AND EQUITY BUDGETING STAKEHOLDERS’ FORUM AT SHERATON HOTEL, KAMPALA

by Kevin May 14, 2018

Mrs. Sylvia Muwebwa Ntambi giving her remarks at the stakeholders’ forum.

Lead Government Agencies on gender and equity planning and budgeting with support from DFID organized a Gender and Equity Budgeting Stakeholders’ Forum to share achievements made through the SURGE programme at the Sheraton Hotel on Thursday 10th May, 2018. It was intended to discuss a way forward for scaling up capacity building in gender and equity budgeting and to launch the National Curriculum and Training Manuals for technical officers.

EOC was represented by the Chairperson who made a statement on the progress made thus far on gender and equity budgeting by Ministries, Departments and Agencies.

The Rt. Speaker of Parliament of the Republic of Uganda.
Hon. Minister of Finance Planning and Economic Development.
The Hon. Minister of Gender, Labour & Social Development.
The Representative, UNDP.
The Representative, UN Women.
The Representative of Office of the High Commission for Human Rights.
Head of DFID Uganda.
The UNHCR Representative in Uganda.
My colleagues from the Equal Opportunities Commission.
The Honourable Members of Parliament Present.
Representatives of MDAs.
The Civil Society Organizations.
The Media Fraternity.
Distinguished Guests.
Ladies and Gentlemen.

Rt. Hon Speaker and our distinguished guests, on behalf of the Consortium that includes the Equal Opportunities Commission, Ministry of Finance Planning and Economic Development (MoFPED), Ministry of Gender Labour and Social Development (MGLSD), SURGE and the National Task Force on Gender and Equity. I express gratitude to everyone here present for having chosen to be part of this very important Gender and Equity Budgeting Stakeholder’s Forum amidst your multiple obligations. Most unreservedly, your choice signals patriotism for a transformed Ugandan Society from a Peasant to a Modern and Prosperous Country within 30 years and a much better Uganda all the years ahead.

This reflection workshop is in accordance with the Mandate of the Equal Opportunities Commission which is to give effect to the State’s constitutional mandate to eliminate discrimination and inequalities against any individual or group of persons on the ground of sex, age, race, colour, ethnic origin, tribe, birth, creed or religion, health status, social or economic standing, political opinion or disability, and taking affirmative action in favour of groups marginalized on the basis of gender, age, disability or any other reason created by history, tradition or custom for the purpose of redressing imbalances which exist against them; among other related matters.

Enactment of the Public Finance Management Act, 2015 that bears 3 provisions on gender and equity compliance (sections 9 (6) (a) and (b); 13 (11) (i) and (ii); and 13 (15) (i) and (ii), was a blessing as it emphasised the mandate of the Equal Opportunities Commission.

Government commitment to enhance access to equal opportunities through gender and equity budgeting is tandem with the 2030 global overarching framework that aims at equitably addressing the needs of the current and future population in an inclusive and sustainable manner. It cannot be an easy road for Uganda to achieve the 17 SDG targets by “leaving no one behind” or meet the challenges of the 21st century without the full and equal participation of all its inhabitants – women and men, girls and boys, the rich and poor, rural and the urban inhabitants, children, youth and the older persons, persons with disabilities, ethnic minorities among others.

Rt. Hon Speaker and our distinguished guests, through G&E planning and Budgeting we hope to achieve our Uganda Vision 2040 whose ultimate goal is, A Transformed Ugandan Society from a Peasant to a Modern and Prosperous Country within 30 years. Every Ugandan is a shareholder of this land and it’s against the principles of equal opportunities for the disadvantaged groups to be discriminated and marginalised. To be more specific; Economic status should not be a requirement to access the best education. We want to see even the poor, Persons with Disabilities, and Orphans, learners in hard to reach places, Islands among others also accessing the best education in their respective locations. When it comes to health care, a Ugandan should not lose life because they cannot afford the prescribed Medicine or the prescribed medicine is not among the essential medicines stocked by the Ministry of health.

In accordance with Article 32 (1) of the Constitution of the Republic of Uganda provides for affirmative action in favour of marginalised groups. This is a cardinal Principle under Gender and Equity Budgeting. Uganda’s population is estimated to be 37.7million people (UBOS 2017) out of which over 80% constitute the marginalised and vulnerable groups i.e. women (52%), youth (38%), orphans and other vulnerable children (55%), older persons (4%), ethnic minorities (1%), persons with disabilities (12%), the rural and urban poor (21.4%) and persons living with HIV/AIDS, among others.

Rt. Hon. Speaker, as the country strives to transform Ugandans through among other strategies enhancing the average income earned by a Ugandan per year (per capita income) from 1.8 million (2010) to 34 million in 2040, it’s critical to have interventions that uplift the incomes of the less earners who are the marginalised which can be realised through gender and equity budgeting. Rt. Hon. Speaker, there several other targets under the Vision 2040 to which gender and equity planning and budgeting is instrumental for their realization. Among these include; reducing poverty prevalence from 24.5% (2010) to 5% by 2040, increasing the country’s tax base, have 94% of the labour force employed, reducing child and maternal mortality among others.

Rt. Hon Speaker and our distinguished guests as we reflect on some of the achievements registered to date, I wish to note that beyond the normative requirement to eliminate discrimination and promote inclusive development in society, there is empirical evidence showing the negative consequences if a country fails to embrace gender and equity budgeting; and among the consequences may include;

Political insecurity more especially when certain groups of people are excluded from the development process. The EOC is expected to check for inclusiveness in all development frameworks.
Efforts dedicated towards poverty alleviation will not realise desired targets. The Poor will get poorer, and the rich will get richer.
The tax base of the country will remain constrained due to the fact that the vulnerable population constitutes the majority and their exclusion from development programs renders them economically inactive.
Exclusion breeds unbalanced growth and development with certain locations or regions dominating others.
Loss of trust from government by the People
The purchasing power may also remain low due to the fact that incomes will be in the hands of a few people.
Unemployment will increase due to the limited opportunities that will be created by the few individuals.
Crime rate will increase as disadvantaged citizens will resort to survival for the fittest using rudimentary and constitutional ways of making ends meet.
Government would end up incurring huge expenditures on social protection programs and social services due to high poverty levels and inability of the populace to afford basic needs.

Rt. Hon Speaker, Hon Ministers and Distinguished guests, since enactment of Public Finance Management Act, the Equal Opportunities Commission has worked with varies actors majority of whom were invited for this forum and in addition to the achievements shared by SURGE, I also wish to bring to your notice that gender and equity materials have been developed to support the process and among these include;

8 sector specific gender and equity compacts .
Assessment tools for both MDAs and Local Governments.
Gender and equity guide for Parliament.
Assessors Guide.
National Compendium on sector/vote specific gender and equity issues.
viii. Gender and equity simplified messages showing day to practical application of gender and equity budgeting

Rt. Hon Speaker, Hon Ministers and Distinguished guests, to date, the Commission has assessed four sets of Sector Budget Framework Papers and Ministerial Policy Statements (2015/2016, 2016/2017, 2017/2018 and 2018/2019). In this stakeholder’s forum I wish to share some key highlights for a few sectors starting with.

The Commission noted that the Health Sector Budget for the FY 2018/2019 has been reduced by 136.64 billion i.e. from 1.85 trillion to 1.714 amidst the health challenges being faced by the country most of which relate to gender and equity i.e. maternal mortality, drug stock outs, low staffing, lack of equipment, Lack of housing for health workers, Limited Infrastructure Development (59 Districts do not have general Hospitals, 29 Constituencies do not have Health Centre IVs, 93 sub counties do not have any Government Health Facilities and 225 only have a HC II); among others. Government allocation for health as percentage of the total Government budget has been averaged at about 8% from 2010/11 to 2016/17, which is 1.8 percentage points below the Health Sector Development Plan (HSDP) target of 9.8%. These are also still far below the 15% threshold of the Abuja Declaration (2001) hence constrain efforts to equitable health service delivery.
During the assessment, the Commission also noted that UBTS planned to reduce on the units of blood collected for transfusion was due to inadequate funding. In the FY 2015/2016, Uganda Blood Transfusion Services targeted 266,400 units of blood and 280,145 in the FY 2016/2017. On the contrary, in the FY 2018/2019, the targeted units of blood to be collected (240,000) were reduced. It’s important to note that on several occasions various hospitals have experienced blood shortage whose effect mainly affects the vulnerable.
As you are aware, government through the Ministry of Health has made commitment to focus on Health Centre III and ensure they provide effective and efficient services to our people. However, there is need for a clear plan on how these HC IIIs are going to be equitably up graded.

Best education has turned out to be for those in better economic class. Economic status should not be a requirement to access the best education. We desire to see even the poor, PWDs, and Orphans, learners in hard to reach areas, Islands among others also accessing the best education in their respective locations. Such commitments in the sector BFP were not satisfactory.

Analysis of the PLE, UCE and UACE UNEB results over the years reveals that all the worst performing sub regions are located in the Eastern Region and these are; Elgon, Busoga, Teso and Bukedi. These are followed by West-Nile, Lango and Acholi sub-Regions. In addition, the Eastern Region contributes 73% (22) of the 30 poor performing districts of which 6 of the districts are in Busoga (Iganga, Luuka, Bugiri, Kaliro, Mayuge and Buyende). However, during the assessment, the Commission noted that there was no explicit commitment by the Ministry to address the above performance inequalities.
Secondary school enrollment rate has remained below 35% over the years. Limited access to secondary schools is among the concerns. The sector highlighted no funding for construction of secondary schools in sub counties without any government secondary school to improve access to secondary education. There is also a crisis of science teachers with reference made to the Commission’s audits more especially in the rural schools and hard to reach areas which compromises equal learning opportunities. The sector highlighted this gap as a non-funded priority.
Other concerns where the sector’s commitments were lacking included; school drop outs, low completion rates, girl child pregnancy, and sexual violence against girl children by teachers among others.
According to the 2014 National Population and Housing Census, a total of 1,064,780 older persons (males 487,020 and females 577,760) were in the age group of 65 and above (as well as 60 and above for the case of Karamoja sub-region) most of whom ought to benefit from the programme. The 2018/2019 sector BFP only targets 153,704 (14%) of the eligible beneficiaries.
Inadequacy of resource allocation is a serious discrimination problem for almost all the programs being implemented by the social development sector.

First, a lot of resources are being invested in the sector to infrastructure development. All the roads outside trading centres do not have provisions for pedestrians and sometimes cyclists. On several occasions school children are found walking in trenches while going to school.
The Sector is commended for the effort towards upgrading the transport network. However, there is need to allocate resources and subsequently ensure that all districts are accessible by tarmac and also ensure regular rehabilitation of community roads both urban and rural areas. There also still very few islands that can be accessed with a ferry. For instance Buvuma has 52 islands of which only one is accessible by a ferry, Kalangala has 87 Islands of which about 67 are habitable but only One Island is accessible with a ferry.

It was also observed that UNRA takes care of 15% of the roads in the country but on contrary receive 85% of the funds allocated towards road construction
Lastly, there have been allegations that roads in some districts get completed faster as compared to other districts. The sector should ensure equitable funding and fairness in the project completion rates

Rt. Hon Speaker, Hon Ministers and Distinguished guests, the overall national sector BFP compliance to Gender and Equity requirements for the FY 2016/2017 was 57% and 60% in the FY 2017/2018. In the conclude assessments, overall compliance improved to 61%. On the other hand, the national compliance of Ministerial Policy Statements with gender and equity requirements was 53% and 50% in 2016/2017 and 2017/2018. In the concluded assessments, compliance improved 58%. As stated above, the compliance levels are still very low and this is attributed to limited capacity among players within the various MDAs and LGs. Consequently, to realise gender and equity budgeting, it is critical that we as cardinal actors put more effort on building the capacity of MDAs and Local Governments.

Development of gender and Equity Compacts for the remaining nine Sectors. These are;
1. Accountability Sector.
2. Energy and Mineral Development Sector.
3. Lands, Housing & Urban Development Sector.
4. Legislature Sector.
5. Public Administration Sector.
6. Public Sector Management.
7. Security Sector.
8. Social Development Sector.
9. Water and Environment Sector.
10. Science, Technology and Innovation Sector
Development of an online system on Gender and Equity Planning and Budgeting
Training of all Sectors and Local Governments (All key Technical and Political Leaders) on gender and equity planning and budgeting
Appointment of Desk Officers attached to respective sectors to support gender and equity planning and budgeting
Tracking implementation of gender and equity commitments made by respective votes
Enforcing compliance to gender and equity in other frameworks
Development of a statistics strategy on gender and equity
Development of popular versions of the various resource materials
Training all the Committees of Parliament on their gender and equity oversight Role
Development of G&E issues for address under National Development Plan III

Rt. Hon Speaker and Distinguished guests, as I conclude, allow me recognize the role various stakeholders have played to implement gender and equity planning and budgeting in accordance with the provisions of the Public Finance Management Act, 2015. On behalf of all the Gender and Equity Actors, I wish to acknowledge the various stakeholders for the selfless support extended towards this noble cause.

First, acknowledgment is extended to the Government of Uganda for the commitment to towards Gender and Equity Budgeting. Special appreciation goes to Parliament and the various Committees namely: Gender Labour and Social Development; Standing Committee on Equal Opportunities; Finance, Planning and Economic Development and the Budget Committee for their continued support in the implementation of the PFMA Gender and Equity Provisions.

Special appreciation goes to DFID for the financial support extended through Maxwell Stamp PLC, London under “Support Uganda Response to Gender Equality (SURGE)”. I commend the collective effort made by the development partners that support gender and equity programmes among which includes; UN Women, EU, USAID, UNDP, UN Human Rights, and DGF/GIZ among others. Now that DFID has withdrawn funding we seek your usual support in addressing the financial gap left behind.

Gratitude also goes to the technical representatives from the Government line Ministries, Departments, Agencies and Civil Society Organisations for their respective contribution.

Rt. Hon Speaker and Distinguished guests, the Equal Opportunities Commission is committed to work with all stakeholders to take gender and equity planning and budgeting to another level in the spirit of promoting equal opportunities for all so as to realize a society free from all forms of discrimination and wherein all persons have equal opportunities in accessing goods and services.

Finally and once again Rt. Hon Speaker and Distinguished guests, I thank you, I thank everyone for sparing the time for this important process. Most unreservedly, I trust that at the end of today we shall have strategies whose implementation will advance Uganda to greater heights.

For God and my Country

Sylvia Muwebwa Ntambi,

CHAIRPERSON

EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES COMMISSION.

May 14, 2018 37 views

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WORKERS DEMAND FOR HIGHER PAY

by Kevin May 9, 2018

The parade team braved the rains and displayed the EOC brand

President Yoweri Museveni has defended the controversial plan by government to import Cuban doctors, accusing Ugandan medics of blackmail and “behaving badly and unprofessionally”.

Speaking during the Labour Day celebrations in Sembabule on Tuesday 1st May, he angrily described the medics who downed their tools at the end of last year as “enemies of Uganda who should be treated as such”.

The medics strike which paralysed healthcare services throughout the country and saw some patients die due to failure or delayed access to medication, forced government develop the scheme of importing 200 doctors from Cuba to replace the striking doctors.

President Museveni said as proposed in the next Budget (2018/19), his government will only enhance salaries for selected civil servants such as doctors and science teachers while others will be considered in subsequent budgets. The President also dismissed as selfish the agitation to enhance civil servants pay across the board, saying government still has other pressing priorities to tackle, including roads.

Mr. Museveni reprimanded those who stage strikes over low pay, saying he is one of the public servants paid a low salary.

The Presidents response was triggered by an earlier speech by Mr. Wilson Usher Owere, the Chairman, National Organisation of Trade Unions (NOTU).

Mr. Owere had argued that since government had improved key infrastructure including roads by 70 per cent, it was now pressing that government focuses on raising salaries of civil servants.

The NOTU boss had also challenged that non-motivated labour would frustrate Uganda’s economic take off stage and notified the President against poor counsel by his Ministers on import of Cuban doctors.

“I don’t see any need of them and you should be serious with your ministers. They just want to create for you problems. They want to financially benefit from the Cuban doctors project”.

EOC participated in the parade that was led by the uniformed officers and other government, private and civil society organisations.

The Government gave 330 people medals in recognition of their outstanding service to the country.

EOC participated in a talk show on the eve of Labour Day on Buladde FM in Masaka and received a number of callers asking about how to access our premises in order to reach out and redress their discrimination related challenges.

May 9, 2018 40 views

Ms. Zaminah Malole, Acting Chairperson, EOC speaking at the event

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EOC PUSHES FOR INCLUSION OF MARGINALIZED GROUPS IN DECISION MAKING PROCESSES

by Kevin May 5, 2018

Ms. Zaminah Malole, Acting Chairperson, EOC speaking at the event.

The Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) in partnership with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on Thursday 26th April, 2018 convened a validation workshop of the Study Report on the Status of Marginalised Groups in Decision Making Processes at National and Local Government Levels at Imperial Royale Hotel, Kampala.

“Government of Uganda has made significant progress in redressing societal imbalances and promoting equal opportunities for all in governance as evidenced by the provisions for affirmative action with respect to marginalized groups in the composition of local councils in the 1995 Constitution of the Republic of Uganda and the Local Government Act 1997,” Zaminah Malole the Acting Chairperson, EOC said while opening the event.

She added that groups like women, youth, workers and Persons with Disabilities needed to be politically empowered and were specifically given special seats at every level of decision making in the country.

Annet Mpabulungi Wakabi, Team leader Governance, UNDP reiterated that Inclusion of marginalized groups in decision-making processes, is not a favour nor a mere fulfilment of human rights obligations, but a catalyst to democratic governance and Sustainable Inclusive Development.

“Beyond this validation, we are of the opinion to have such reports disseminated widely to the Executive and Members of Parliament who are critical in decision making aspirations of transforming Ugandans,” she added.

The Study Report profiles the current situation on involvement of marginalized groups in decision making processes in Parliament and selected Local Governments, factors that hinder effective participation of marginalised groups in decision making processes and makes policy recommendations geared at advancing participation and empowerment of the marginalised groups.

Wafula Sirabo Patrobas, the Acting Vice Chairperson, EOC hoped that the information provided by the Study Report would address issues that affect marginalized groups such that no one is left behind.

“I consider this report an extremely useful document that can inform policy and our various stakeholders on the gaps regarding participation of marginalized groups in decision making processes,” Mr. Wafula said, adding that equal opportunities is about the needs of others.

Prof. Olwor Sunday Nicholas thanked UNDP for the financial support extended to the Commission and called upon all the stakeholders involved in the sector to join hands with Government to ensure the recommendations of the report are implemented.

Several speakers at the workshop noted that the report was timely since it highlights the status of marginalized groups in decision making processes. The issues given particular prominence where on low representation of marginalized groups at top decision making level, low levels of education, low self-esteem of Persons With Disabilities and societal and cultural barriers.

“We have two representatives at Local Government and five in Parliament. When we try to contest in positions against able bodied members we are told to go where we belong,” said Beatrice Guzu, Executive Secretary National Council for Disability (NCD).

Collins Mwijuka raised the issue of involving women in decision making processes at the household level in order to empower them for leadership positions. “This will set a foundation for a playing ground,” he added.

Albert, a representative of older persons from Pallisa advocated for additional funding for the Social Assistance Grants for Empowerment programme (SAGE). “Giving the Chiefs and the Local Council systems to run the affairs of older persons looks unfair to these councils. The older person’s councils are therefore requesting that the programme includes the Executive councils in their transactions.”

A number of recommendations were proposed at the workshop and EOC pledged to include them in the report which will be launched in due course.

May 5, 2018 60 views

The Chairperson, Mrs. Sylvia Muwebwa Ntambi presenting the report to the Minister of State for Finance Hon. David Bahati

BFP CSR events Media

EOC SUBMITS ASSESSMENT FINDINGS ON COMPLIANCE OF MINISTERIAL POLICY STATEMENTS WITH GENDER AND EQUITY REQUIREMENTS FOR FINANCIAL YEAR 2018/2019

by Kevin April 23, 2018

The Chairperson, Mrs. Sylvia Muwebwa Ntambi presenting the report to the Minister of State for Finance Hon. David Bahati

Equal Opportunities Commission submitted Assessment Findings report on compliance of Ministerial Policy Statements (MPS) with Gender and Equity requirements for FY 2018/19 on Wednesday 11th April, 2018. The report was submitted to the Minister of State for Planning, Hon. David Bahati in the presence of Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development in the Ministry’s Boardroom.

Hon David Bahati observed that EOC is making good progress in checking compliance to gender and equity for a long time, and encouraged the Commission to continuing doing this. He encourage the Commission to devise ways of continued networking with the Ministry inorder to strengthen the working relationships and devise avenues to counter gaps that MDAs can use to improve on their gender and equity plans and budgets.

The Chairperson of the Commission, Mrs. Sylvia Muwebwa Ntambi expressed her gratitude to the Minister for providing a platform to the Commission to present the report. She noted that, “The Commission observed that MDAs are mainly focusing on equity by location contrary to the provisions of the PFMA. The practice by MDAs to focus on location defeats the national commitment of leaving no on behind. As provided for under the Public Finance Management Act, all categories of the marginalised groups ought to equally benefit from the national budget”.

There has been registered overall improvement in the level of compliance of MPS with gender and equity requirements in the FY2018/19 of 5%age points from 50% in 2017/18 to 55%. This improvement is not responsive to the various categories of the marginalised but rather focused on location (82%) and to some extent gender (58%)”, she added.

“Out of the 142 votes/MDAs assessed, 114 votes (80%) met the minimum requirements on compliance with gender and equity. A detailed list of the votes recommended to be issues a certificate of compliance is contained in the report below.

The meeting was preceded by a press conference at the Uganda Media Center at 12:00pm.

For more details on the MPS assessment findings refer to the publications section.

April 23, 2018 35 views

BFP CSR events G&E

EOC ATTENDS STAKEHOLDERS FORUM/LEARNING FAIR FOR MEMBERS OF PARTNER DISABLED PEOPLES’ ORGANISATIONS (DPOS)

by Kevin December 2, 2017

Participants at the forum.

Uganda National Action on Physical Disability (UNAPD), Spinal Injuries Association-Uganda (SIA) and Brain Injury Support Organization of Uganda (BISOU) implemented a 4- year (2014-2017) joint project called “Capacity Building for Sustainable Development Project”. This project was supported by Danish partners; Para-sport, Denmark, Danish Handicapped Forbund (DHF) and Danish Brain Injury Association (DBIA).

The project came to an end and was climaxed with a learning fair/exhibition in which beneficiaries showcased how the project impacted on their lives. These included disability sports, talent shows, exhibitions, simulations, motivational speakers and musical performances. The function was inspired by the theme “Empowering PWDs: The journey of capacity building for sustainable development project” and commenced with a stakeholders forum in the morning and learning fair/exhibition in the afternoon.

Participants in attendance were from Government and Civil Society Organizations. Some of the participants included National Union of Disabled Persons (NUDIPU), National Curriculum Development Center (NCDC), Equal Opportunities Commission, Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education and Sports and Ministry of Defence.

The moderator Mr. Patrick Menya welcomed participants to the forum and took them through the programme. He thanked the different organizations involved in planning the event and thanked the different funders from Denmark for the support.

The forum was opened by Arthur Blick Snr., Chairperson UNAPD who welcomed representatives to the meeting. He expressed his gratitude for their presence and explained the importance of the meeting. He advocated that it was a special forum and urged everyone present to make a change and difference in the lives of persons with disabilities. He urged the different partners present to tap into the talents of people with disabilities and encouraged them to become experts in specific fields that they feel comfortable in.

He accorded special recognition to the project funders and urged them to continue supporting them in different projects going forward.

Apollo Mukasa, Executive Director UNAPD explained that the four year project had impacted and caused positive change to different people’s lives including parents with special needs children. He recognized participants who had come from all over the country like Lira, Kabale, Hoima, Busia, Fort Portal, Kayunga, Mubende, Nebbi and Gulu. He stressed the different partnership with different organisations both nationally and internationally and reiterated how education and sporting activities have brought inclusiveness for person with disabilities. Participants watched a documentary that showcased the beneficiaries from the four year program and how it had impacted on their lives.

Motivational speaker Meddie Sengooba a lawyer with Disability Rights Uganda encouraged everyone present with a disability to develop a niche and become experts in their field. He called upon participants not to complain about work and quit but to complain as they work and push for better facilities. He added that work gives independence and respect. He urged participants to be honest, accountable and assertive and develop a good work ethic.

Ms. Rose, a counsellor at Bombo Military hospital, testified about the challenge of looking after a partner with disability. She told her story of her spouse who got a spinal injury after a motor accident in 2006. She moved participants to tears when she explained that she had stood with him for eleven years and pledged to stand with him through his condition.

The afternoon session was outdoor with sporting activities and exhibition of different craft products.

The event was closed by H.E Mogens Pedersen the Danish Ambassador to Uganda who encouraged persons with disabilities to always work with confidence and not feel intimidated by able bodied people. He urged them to use their skills in sports, crafts and different skills they may acquire along the way.

December 2, 2017 30 views

Equal Opportunities Commission ECO News and events

BFP CSR Training Youth

EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES COMMISSION JOINS MINISTRY OF GENDER TO LAUNCH THE YOUNG, HEALTHY AND EMPLOYED CAMPAIGN 2017-2022

by Kevin August 21, 2017

The Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development together with Business Day Communications launched a campaign dubbed “Young, Healthy and Employed (2017-2022)” on Tuesday 15th August, 2017 at Makerere University main hall, Kampala.

The campaign was launched by the Ministry’s Commissioner for Youth and Children Affairs, Mr. Mondo Kyateeka. It is aimed at creating one million jobs for the youth by 2022.

This campaign is supported by Equal Opportunities Commission, Uganda Health Marketing Group, Marie Stopes Uganda and True North limited.

Ms. Jane Nandawula the CEO of Business Day Communication explained that the campaign was conceived in March this year during a youth meeting that comprised of youth from 10 universities. During this meeting, the main issues that arose were health and unemployment amongst the youth. She added that this programme is targeting 1,000,000 youth getting employed by 2022.

The campaign aims to; create advocacy for increased entrepreneurial opportunities including agri-business, lobbying for increased donor funding to Government for youth activities, provide insights to Civil Society Organizations inform of conferences for key decision makers, draft year book magazines and engage the youth in social media.

She noted that when youth are employed, crime will be eradicated, there will be political and food security and the family economic status will be strengthened. “When youth are employed, they work with energy and commitment.”

Mr. Mondo Kyateeka (with microphone) launching the Young, healthy and employed campaign 2017-2022

Speaking about the challenges young people in the Universities experience in terms of health, Ms. Sarah Aporu shared her story on positive living and remaining productive with your life. She came out public about her HIV status on 2nd April, 2017 and encouraged the youth to endeavor to keep safe and healthy at all times. She stressed the need to take frequent HIV tests and encouraged them to engage in this campaign in order for it to impact positively on their lives.

Mr. Sirabo Patrobas Wafula a Member of the EOC representing the youth expressed EOC’s commitment in identifying and addressing social inclusion of young people. He said, “It is imperative that we express ourselves and contribute to socio-economic development of the country.”

Young people need to be involved and included in decision making. He further encouraged them to take up volunteer positions in organizations in order to gain experience. He stressed the need of involving them in planning, implementation and monitoring of youth specific interventions.

Mr. Mondo Kyateeka the Commissioner Youth and Child Affairs in the Gender ministry noted that the ministry has embarked on several interventions aimed at improving the profile of unemployment by ensuring that jobless youth in the country are engaged and employed, both by the private and public sector.

He explained that because Government cannot create all the jobs needed by the youth, they are partnering with various employment organizations to come up with programmes that favor them.

He added that they are currently encouraging and providing youth with skills programmes to make them more employable and help them venture into self-employment.

“We want to use the youth much more and that is why we bring out ideas that can help to improve the Government interventions.

He said they are currently shaping the youth livelihood programme to make it more responsive to the young people and urged the youth to watch out for different interventions that Government comes out with.

Member Patrobas Sirabo Wafula giving his key note address

Deogratius Akol a Human Resource Consultant at True North Limited stressed the need for personal branding and positioning yourself in a competitive market. You need to look at how you present yourself, how you write a good CV, Is it saleable?

We are trying to extend career guidance talks to as many Institutions as we can in order to guide the youth on making right choices when it comes to looking for employment. He said, “We do recruitment for different organizations and give feedback to individuals who do not meet the requirements in order for them to work on their weak points and improve during subsequent job interviews.”

He stressed the importance of youth doing what they are passionate about as opposed to being forced to do what their parents want.

He further discouraged them from spending too much time on social media, make the right friends while at University and position yourself to be job fit.

Youth and members from MDA’s and CSO’s attending the conference at the University’s Main hall.

August 21, 2017 31 views

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