RC Remarks at OHCHR Stock-Taking Reception marking 18 years of human rights protection and promotion in Uganda

The Minister of Foreign Affairs

The Chairperson, Uganda Human Rights Commission

Your Excellencies, the Ambassadors

Development Partners

The Acting Country Director, Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights

UN Country Team members

Representatives from Civil Society

Ladies and Gentlemen,

On behalf of the UN family, I would like to express our deep appreciation to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) for the commendable work you have done in protecting and promoting human rights in Uganda over the past 18 years. I also take this opportunity to thank the Government of Uganda for hosting and partnering with OHCHR during this time.

Today, even as we celebrate the extensive work you have done, we also grieve the loss of OHCHR’s presence in Uganda – a loss for the Government of Uganda, for the UN System, and most importantly, for the people of Uganda. These are difficult times. The pressures on the Government and her people are immense. In such times, independent voices reminding us all of our core, fundamental values, and challenging us to be the best versions of ourselves, becomes all the more critical.  OHCHR has served as one of the central voices – not the only one, but a critical one – for the past 18 years, generally amplifying and supporting the voice of the Uganda Human Rights Commission and like-minded officials within the UPDF, the UPF, and other duty bearers. And, of course, that of civil society, human rights defenders, and individuals and communities whose human rights have been infringed upon. 

This – by a long stretch – is my least welcomed event in my 23 months in Uganda: having to bid farewell to a UN Country Office.  Although OHCHR’s mandate was coming to an end, I had hoped (we had all hoped) that we could have found our way to a new mandate. It is disappointing that this was not the case. My analysis is that a country presence of such an institution can still be useful to Uganda and Ugandans. The Government analysis has been different. We, the United Nations and all its Agencies, Funds and Programs do work at the country level based on an invitation from Governments. And if for any reason the invitation ceases to be, well then we shut down. And that is how we got here at a farewell event for OHCHR Uganda.

In times of difficulty, it can be difficult to zoom out of the day to day and remember ‘why’ we do what we do, the broader context we are working within and journey thus far, up to the particular moment of difficulty.

Why do we exist? Why does the UN exist? The UN is the meeting place of different interests, cultural perspectives, and histories – all nations, the wealthy, the less wealthy, the old, the young, those with different ideologies. The United Nations is the common platform for all these nations – practically all of humanity is part of the United Nations. The UN development system – composed of Agencies, Funds and Programmes – are a part of the international civil service of this body, constituted to support the UN Member States to implement their agreements at the political level. Within this system, all UN agencies are advancing human rights – all our development work and the SDGs are linked to rights, of course. However, OHCHR is the principal UN office that works to promote and protect human rights that are guaranteed under international law and stipulated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. At the country level, OHCHR offices develop, implement, monitor and evaluate technical assistance projects and advisory services at the request of Governments.

Context – This event is happening in a particular context and under challenging circumstances.

There are severe economic challenges – global and national financial crunch. acutely felt since the inset of the pandemic. Revenues have gone down suddenly. As the needs for most Ugandans increased significantly. The financing challenges has affected the Government’s ability to respond in many ways and these of course puts pressure on the elsewhere, including politically and culturally. On the political challenges, well we have the news papers telling us what some of those are. Including the management of financial resources and alleged corruption cases.

Cultural challenges. While we see the Bill, now law, as totally unhelpful to Uganda’s development ambitions, most pronouncedly in the areas of health outcomes but also more broadly bc how can we ensure that no Ugandan is discriminated against? That all Ugandans receive all the services that they are entitled to as per the constitution? *. While the passing of the bill has been premised on the protection of children, it is not clear that there was need for a bill entitled ‘anti homosexuality bill’ to do so. Pedophilia is a crime. And children should be protected. But perhaps there were better ways to ensure children were better protected? Perhaps there is better regulation of institutions to be done to ensure this protection? Also it is my understanding that the many horrendous video circulated online were from unregulated shelter houses… places where children seeking protection sometimes meet sexual predators who film extremely disturbing activities with children… perhaps better regulations of such spaces would help?

And with all this, of course there is a cultural aspect as well. Most Ugandans according to ‘Afro barometer’ are very uncomfortable with homosexuality. So there is a clash with societies values… arguably, this concern was well captured within the existing laws, making this new bill more about other concerns that the issue of homosexuality.

Anyways, all this to say, the current context of the UN and Government not sharing the same analysis of the usefulness of OHCHR is a difficult one se are difficult

 On behalf of the United Nations Country Team, I would like to express our appreciation to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) for the commendable work you have done in protecting and promoting human rights in Uganda over the past 18 years.

So despite the inevitable sadness – at least among my UN family, let today also be a celebration of the work that OHCHR has been able to do in Uganda, during its time here. Let me use this occasion to pay tribute to OHCHR in Uganda by sharing some highlights of key contribution to protecting and promoting human rights working together with  the UN Country Team.

I also take this opportunity to thank the Government of Uganda for hosting and partnering with OHCHR for the past 18 years. I acknowledge the delicate balance and the push and pull factors in the realm of governance on one hand and the respect for human rights on the other. On this note, I acknowledge that through the implementation of its mandate, some institutions may have felt hard done by. The call to uphold the fundamental human rights bestows on us all an obligation to hold each other to account for the common good of all.

Key Achievements of OHCHR

Provision of technical expertise and capacity development on the implementation of human rights

All the work of the UNDS is about rights – and all the agencies cover the full span of rights . Civil Political and Economic, Social & cultural rights.  All we do in pursuit of the 17 SDGs are about rights. OHCHR’s specialized role was to see how we incorporated rights in the ful spectrum of the work of all agencies. Given the centrality of human rights to the UN system and the people it serves, OHCHR endeavored to mainstream human rights into development programmes implemented by the UN system in Uganda. This is done through provision of technical expertise and capacity development on the implementation of human rights, monitoring, reporting, and advisory services.  In Uganda, as one of the 29 UN entities, OHCHR also worked with Government of Uganda institutions such as the UHRC, UPDF, and made their contributions o support the Government of Uganda to achieve the Uganda Vision 2040, the National Development Plan III, SDG Agenda 2030 and the AU agenda 2063.

Integrating human rights in sustainable development

• Supported development of the National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights.
• Supported UBOS to integrate human rights indicators in the national statistical framework, adopt a human rights-based approach in the development of tools for the 2023 National Population and Housing Census.

Increasing implementation of the international human rights mechanisms’ outcomes

• Supported respective engagements of the Government of Uganda, the UHRC and of the civil society with the Universal Periodic Reviews of 2011, 2016, and 2022, as well as their reporting to UN Treaty Bodies.

Strengthening rule of law and accountability for human rights violations

• Successfully advocated for the creation of a Human Rights Committee in Parliament,  established in June 2012.
• Supported development and dissemination of the Prohibition and Prevention of Torture Act, 2012, and its regulations.
• Between 2018 and 2023, OHCHR and the UHRC secured the release of over 20,000 individuals arbitrarily arrested and detained in military and police detention facilities.

Enhancing & protecting civic space and people's participation

• Trained hundreds of CSO actors on a range of human rights topics such as human rights monitoring, reporting, and advocacy which strengthened their collaborative approach to human rights advocacy and boosted over 100 CSOs engagement with international human rights mechanisms.
• In 2013, supported 300 human rights defenders from seven regions of Uganda to come together to form the National Coalition of Human Rights Defenders in Uganda.

Enhancing equality and countering discrimination

• Persons with Disabilities Act revised, including recognition of Albinism as a category of disabilities.

Technical support on analysis on the Anti Homosexuality Bill 2023

Furthermore, the UN System, through OHCHR, submitted a joint analysis of the human rights implications of the Anti Homosexuality Bill on 13 March 2023 to the Chairperson of the Human Rights Committee of Parliament, Hon. Fox Odoi-Oywelowo and subsequently held at least three meetings with the Chairperson to inform strategic engagement. The UN Country Team has engaged directly with key government institutions and actors, including the Minister of State for Internal Affairs, Ministers of relevant line ministries (e.g., Ministry of Health, Ministry of Gender, Labour, and Social Development), the Inter-Religious Council of Uganda (IRCU), the mover of the Anti Homosexuality Bill, Hon. Asuman Basalirwa, and other persons of influence. In addition, the UN facilitated and participated in a meeting between Executive Director UN AIDS, the UN Resident Coordinator and the Attorney General to discuss the AHB.

The United Nations in Uganda is deeply committed to upholding the principles of human rights, including those of people of all sexual orientations. The UN Country Team is continuously and actively working to promote inclusivity and equality within all nations, through dialogue, advocacy, and collaboration with various stakeholders. The UN Country Team will continuous dialogue with all stakeholders to ensure the UN’s principles of non-discrimination and leaving no one behind are upheld

As the agency exits the country therefore, I trust that its good work will remain with us and will be manifested through our joint commitment to uphold the rule of law and respect the human rights of all regardless of their standing in the society. I take this opportunity to call upon the Government of Uganda in line with its constitution ensures all Ugandans enjoy their rights as envisaged by the framers if the 1995 Constitution.

As I conclude, I pledge the commitment of the UN Country Team to continue protecting and promoting human rights in Uganda through among others ensuring a human rights based approach was me implement the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (2021-2025) supporting Uganda achieve her development aspirations as outlined in the third National Development Plan (NDP III) and Vision 2040.

Thank you for listening to me.