Foreword.
This report is historical as a key statutory deliverable for the Commission when we register a decade since establishment as a Constitutional body mandated to end marginalization and discrimination in the country. Needless to emphasize, these first ten years since inauguration of the Commission in July 2010 have been a protracted journey of marketing and inculcating a new ideology of inclusive and equitable service delivery, aimed at achieving development outcomes targeting all Ugandans irrespective of status.
This report showcases the many ways in which we work at national and local government levels to effectuate Article 32 of the Constitution of the Republic of Uganda, 1995 (as amended); Sections 14 and 15 of the Equal Opportunities Commission Act, 2007; Sections 9(6), 13(11) and 13(15) of the Public Finance Management Act, 2015; as well as turn the aims of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the country’s Vision 2040 into reality.
During this final year of implementing the NDP II, the Commission has tracked the various interventions and indicators set out under the country’s Vision 2040; NDP II; Sector Development Plans; National and Sector Budget Framework Papers, Ministerial Policy Statements, Local Government Budget Framework papers (2015/2016-2019/2020); alongside the targets of the SDGs. This aimed at establishing the extent to which service delivery has inclusively benefited the most vulnerable and how their standard of living has been transformed. The main premise of this report is that without inclusive and equitable access to various NDP II interventions, the national development efforts will be compromised and the standards of living among the poor – including their access to social services may not be raised sustainably.
With the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic however, the gains made under NDP II are on the verge of reversal. The contagion is reopening and deepening pre-existing inequalities – exposing vulnerability in social, political and economic systems. In part therefore, Government has set out new people-centred commitments under the NDP III aiming at “increasing average household incomes and improve the quality of life of Ugandans”. The Equal Opportunities Commission made contribution to the development of NDPIII through an Issues Paper on Sector Specific Gender and Equity Issues. It is hoped that MDAs and Local Governments will comply with the plan for better service delivery.
It is my sincere hope that the analytical state of equal opportunities in the sectors under review presented in this report will be utilised by the various State and Non-State actors in a concerted effort to eliminate all forms of discrimination and inequalities.
The Commission’s commitment to promote equal opportunities for all and affirmative action for the marginalised and discriminated in order to realise balanced and equitable development is unwavering. We pride in the good will of Government and its leadership, a dedicated human resource, as well as a wide array of international and local partners for future success and growth opportunities.
For God and my Country
Sylvia Muwebwa Ntambi
CHAIRPERSON