Remarks by UN Resident Coordinator a.i at the Validation Meeting of the Uganda Country Report ahead of Transforming Education Summit

Hon. Joyce Moriku Kaducu, Minister of State for Primary Education

Dr. Munir Safieldin, UNICEF Representative

The Secretary General, Uganda National Commission for UNESCO

Senior Government Officials

Education Development Partners

Members of the Press,

Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, Good Morning.

I am profoundly honoured to be here today as we seek to validate the Uganda Country Report on the Transforming Education Summit. The report has been prepared through a wide, inclusive and participatory  process ahead of the September 19th 2022 Summit in New York.

The Transforming Education Summit is an important initiative of Our Common Agenda, which casts spotlight on the urgency to act fast in order to transform education. It calls for actions, building on the UNESCO report on a "new social contract" for education.   The September Summit is also a milestone in the roadmap of Global Education Cooperation Mechanism, for achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4; and the follow-up actions of the Summit will be steered by the SDG4 Education 2030 High-Level Steering Committee. 

I wish to congratulate and thank the Government of Uganda for responding positively to the call by the UN Secretary-General, António Gueterres on 18 April 2022, to UN Member States to take part in the World Summit on Transforming Education, scheduled during the high level week of the  77th  Session of the United Nations  General Assembly.

Ladies and Gentlemen

In November 2021 during the UNESCO General Conference, Member States and Global Education Partners had convened to review the recommendations from the UNESCO publication on “Reimagining the Future of Education”. One of the outcomes of this Global Education meeting  was the call for Action through  declaration that appeals for ‘Investing in the Future of Education’, which is also highlighted in the Paris Declaration - presented and discussed in February 2022 in Serena, Kampala.

As you may be aware that the Transforming Education Pre‐Summit took place  in Paris through 28‐30 June 2022 with an overall objective of harnessing the evolving discussion on transforming education and establishing a shared vision. It  suggested actions for the Summit, generating greater momentum in the lead up to the September Summit. More specifically, the Pre‐Summit provided an inclusive and open forum for:   

1. Countries having advanced their national consultations to present preliminary outcomes of their consultations and share key elements of their commitment to transform education, for inspiring other countries to come forward with bold commitments and actions at the Summit in September.  
2. Each Thematic Action Track to present spotlight initiatives emerging from the initial discussion papers and to explore potential coalitions and partnerships for bringing these at scale, in the lead up to the Pre‐Summit.
3. Creating momentum and serving as a key milestone towards a global movement for education, showcasing countries and education leaders, offering a platform for children, young people, students, parents, and teachers, to share their vision and make their voices heard.

Our distinguished participants, as a country we have attained the first, and probably the most important step towards this process which is to undertake an inclusive,  open and honest discussion about the past and current state of our education system in order to forge the way forward for the Education we want. I congratulate you all for being part of this process.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am  delighted to note these achievements that we have realized since the launch of the national consultations in June 2022. Allow me congratulate you all because as country, we have worked harder together to execute these tasks and as outcome, we have clearly articulated where we want to see our education system in the future. The onus is now upon us to  further our efforts and  and work towards the realization of the education we  want in Uganda.

As the world emerges from the COVID-19 crisis, the Transforming Education Summit provides an opportunity to mobilize greater political ambition, commitment, and action to reverse the slide on SDG 4, reimagine education, and accelerate progress on education and the 2030 Agenda, more broadly for the remainder of the Decade of Action.

Recognizing that Education is an investment in human capital, I call upon Uganda to increase domestic finance for education in line with the commitments made at the World Education Forum in Incheon in 2015.

Finally, I once again congratulate you ‘friends of Education’ for coming up with the Country Report, and it is my sincere hope that Uganda will join the rest of the member states World Summit in New York in September this year.

Thank you.