9th December, 2024
It’s a brand-new week, and as Uganda continues to welcome the new UN Resident Coordinator, Mr. Leonard Zulu from Zimbabwe—who succeeded Ms. Susan Namondo Ngongi—the youth are more energized than ever to pursue Agenda 2030. Mr. Zulu approaches his role with passion and determination, committed to fulfilling the mandate established by the UN Secretary-General’s Office a few years ago to strengthen partnerships and ensure meaningful youth inclusion in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The Youth Coalition for SDGs, Uganda’s lead youth entity in promoting SDG communication and mobilization of youth SDG solutions, puts youth at the forefront to achieve the set SDG implementation targets for Uganda. As a member of the Coalition, Girls Must Uganda, alongside other numerous Youth led Organizations and companies, spent the 4th and 5th of December 2024 actively participating in the New UN Cooperation Framework strategic prioritization and results formulation workshop. This intense exercise put youth’s creativity and innovation to the test as they spent the two days performing reviews of Global and Regional commitments like the Pact for the Future, A.U Agenda 2063, and Our Common Agenda in alignment with the National Development Priorities. The UN Cooperation Framework is a push document to stir agency and accelerate the implementation of the SDG in UN Member States. The entire planning process for the 2026-2030 UN Cooperation Framework ensured integration of Agenda 2030 and 2063.
Exercises conducted included strategic prioritization, and this process involved linking the outcome of the visioning workshop to presentation of emerging patterns from the Country’s Common Analysis (CCA) and shifting from development challenges to priorities. The session presented the outcome of the CCA exercise and the pre-workshop meeting, linking that to what is emerging from the SDG Push Diagnostic Tool while ensuring full alignment of national priorities. This process was conducted using the 5Ps of the SDG, the People, the Planet, Peace, Prosperity and Partnerships.
The Peer Review and Consolidation process enabled the different groups to consolidate the work of other groups and make recommendations for further consolidation. The process included alignment of the identified priority areas with National Priorities including the 6 SDG Transitions, Vision 2040, the East African Vision 2050, and the National Development Plan. With this process, all groups were able to present the final articulation of the new Cooperation Framework priority areas.
The Results Formulation process provided guidance tools on results formulation to provide guidance on best practices in formulating outcomes and outputs per priority area identified. By the end of the workshop, the UN Country Team was expected to have a final set of agreed outcomes and outputs for the pillars of the Cooperation Framework.
Key recommendations and opportunities marked in the strategic prioritization and results formulation process included;
Active Youth Participation. The Youth Coalition for SDGs in Uganda ensured active participation in each of the 5 pillars where key recommendations were made. Cross-cutting recommendations ranged from meaningful participation of women, youth, children, and persons with disabilities in leadership and governance as a key enabler to achieving the SDG.
Integration of Gender strategies throughout the formulation process was emphasized within the 5 Pillars of the SDG with keen interest in the growth-oriented sectors in Uganda, and these included minerals, oil and gas, agriculture, eexploration,and digital technology.
However, despite the concerted efforts the women and Feminist Movements have depicted in fighting inequalities, discrimination, and gender disparity in the past five years, Goal 5 remained reported as one of the goals whose progress was stagnated. According to the World Economic Forum Gender Gap Index, Uganda fell from 0.717 in 2020 to 0.706 in 2024 and fell relative to other countries (83/146) from 43rd in 2018. Uganda ranks 102nd globally in economic participation, 115th in women’s literacy rates, and 122nd in enrollment in tertiary education. Only 16 women are directly elected to open seats in Parliament. 58% of ever-partnered women experience partner violence in their lifetime. 43% in the last 12 months, an increase from 2016, and 17% of women experience sexual violence. A pronounced Gender gap also exists in digital inclusion. Men dominate in mobile phone ownership (80% vs 64%), internet access (34% Vs 18%) access to digital financial services (67% vs. 61%). This concisely communicated the urgent need for Uganda to review her Gender Strategy to understand the gaps and realistic actions to be taken to accelerate progress on SDG 5.
Data distribution and sharing strategies. Insufficient data sharing hindered evidence-based decision-making and policy development.
Although there was reported progress towards the alignment of the 2030 Agenda to the 2063 Agenda, there still remained missing elements to account for Gender Equality achievements in the 2063 Agenda. The declaration and aspirations of Agenda 2063 captured scanty efforts to promote Gender Equality beyond 2030. The language used to define equality in Agenda 2063 doesn’t provoke the Action required to tackle Gender inequalities as structured in the priority areas of the 2063 Agenda.
Pictorial Moments with the UN Resident Coordinator for Uganda, Mr. Leonard Zulu, and Youth that participated in the 2 Days’ workshop.
