Government and the United Nations meet to discuss UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework

The Joint Government - United Nations Steering Committee of the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework in Uganda (2021-2025) met to discuss the implementation and the Results Report for 2021 of the UN Cooperation Framework.

The meeting took place on 5 May 2022, at the Office of the President Conference Hall in Kampala and was Chaired by the Right Hon. Robinnah Nabbanja, Prime Minister of the Republic of Uganda. The meeting was attended by government officials, donor community, international organizations, private sector, academia and civil society organisatons.

In her opening remarks, the Prime Minster thanked the United Nations team for the support, commitment and effort put into coordinating the implementation of the Cooperation Framework and urged government Ministries, Departments and Agencies to continue supporting this partnership.

The Cooperation Framework is implemented by the United Nations in collaboration with relevant Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies and has three strategic priorities; Transformative and Inclusive Governance; Shared Prosperity in a Healthy Environment and Human Well-Being and Resilience.

“As government, we remain committed to take any corrective measures necessary for the achievement of the UN Cooperation Framework objectives,” said the Prime Minster. She emphasized the need for timely reporting and accountability for both resources spent and tangible results from all projects and programmess supported.

The UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework is the most important instrument for planning and implementation of the UN development activities at country level in support of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (2030 Agenda).

The UN Resident Coordinator, Ms. Susan Namondo appreciated the strong collaboration with the government of Uganda, the donor community, international organisations, private sector, academia and civil society organisatons for their support in achieving the outcomes of the Cooperation Framework and advancing, mainstreaming, localisation and financing of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Agenda 2030.

Since the formulation of the Cooperation Framework, the context that we live in Uganda has significantly changed due to unforeseen development challenges notably the COVID-19 pandemic. This called for innovative ways of doing things. The meeting endorsed the following recommendations.

• Increased investment for enhanced capacity to produce and use statistics at national and sub national levels 
• Support localization, mainstreaming and integration of SDG indicators and Voluntary National Review (VNR), Citizen Generated Data (CGD)
• Strengthen mechanisms for implementation and monitoring of labour export policy and regulations to protect the rights of workers and employers
• Increase investment for research and technology focusing on disaster and climate change mitigation, response, and management

In September 2020, President Yoweri Museveni launched the Cooperation Framework for Uganda. In line with UN Reform, the Cooperation Framework was formulated through a highly consultative process over several months from 2019 to 2020 involving representative from Government, United Nations and non-state actors, including the private sector, academia, religious and cultural institutions, civil society including women, youth, and organizations representing persons with disabilities.