Remarks at Third Annual National SDGs Conference

Salutations:

• Your Excellency, the President of the Republic of Uganda
• The Rt. Hon. Prime Minister
• The Rt. Hon. Speaker of the Parliament of Uganda
• Honourable Ministers, 
• The Hon. Chief Justice of Uganda,
• Your Excellencies, Ambassadors and Heads of diplomatic missions,
• Development Partners present,
• Heads of Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies,
• Members of the Civil Society,
• Private Sector representatives,
• Academia,
• The Media Fraternity,
• Colleagues from the UN system
• All participants, 
• Protocols observed

It has been a great pleasure for me to again be part of this important annual gathering to discuss our development goals. I bring you greetings from the United Nations system in Uganda, which has over the years been a partner to Government in creating an enabling environment for the domestication and implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the country level. Allow me, Your Excellency, to introduce some of the members of the UN Country Team who are with us here.

This third Conference is evidence of Government’s unwavering commitment to facilitating constructive reflection on Uganda’s progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals and identify ways of accelerating progress. Of course, these Goals are not a new thing, but simply a framework that helps us to remain focused on the shared principles that the people of Uganda stand for as enshrined in the Constitution, the Vision 2040 and the National Development Plans (NDPs). Through the leadership of the Rt. Hon. Prime Minister, we have witnessed Government’s conscious effort in promoting collaboration with non-state actors in the coordination, implementation, reporting and advocacy for the SDGs. It is because of this inclusive approach that Uganda’s Voluntary National Review (VNR) report that will be presented to the global community next month is a joint one that integrates the views of non-state actors, including civil society and private sector. I am also aware that we have had in this conference representation from various groups of stakeholders. Congratulations to you, Rt. Hon. Prime Minister, for your effective stewardship on this front. 

Dear participants,

The significance of this Third Conference on SDGs cannot be overstated. 

First, it has been an opportunity for stakeholders to contribute to the Voluntary National Review (VNR) process, which gives Uganda a platform to share its experiences on the 2030 Agenda with the rest of the world at the High-Level Political Forum in July. 

Second, it has coincided with the consultations on the Fourth National Development Plan (NDPIV), the vehicle through which SDGs are implemented. I was happy to hear yesterday that Isingiro district, one of the refugee hosting districts that have benefited from UN’s capacity building support, emerged as the best performing local government. These experiences are important to guide us on what works and what does not work. 

Third, it has come at a time when the UN system has launched the process of developing a new UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) for Uganda for the period 2016-2030. 

We, therefore, recognize that the outcome of this two-day discussion will inform these important tasks. This also reveals that the SDG Conference could be that one place where we converge to talk about progress on the National Development Plan targets as well as the global and regional development agendas. 

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Many speakers have already highlighted some of the most important achievements and challenges over these two days. I will, therefore, focus on just a few critical areas that may be relevant as we think about the means of implementation for the 2030 Agenda. 

1. An uncertain development financing landscape: 

Just like many other developing countries, the development financing landscape has become increasingly challenging and will continue to constrain the speed with which we can achieve sustainable development. For example, Uganda has embarked on an ambitious and economically transformative ten-fold economic growth strategy which will require extra financial resources to implement. Yet, with the multiple geopolitical and climate-related shocks, we are witnessing a shift in the funding priorities of our traditional development partners. This implies that we can no longer count on additional resources from the same sources to the level that we need as a country. Already, non-concessional borrowing is becoming gradually more significant and debt servicing is taking a huge chunk of the national budget, leaving limited room for funding the development needs of critical sectors like health and education. At the same time, there is a limit beyond which taxation can become counter-development. We are already starting to experience resentment among the business community over what they term as “excessive taxation”, and indeed some are struggling to survive. Statistics from URA indicate that between 2019/20 and 2022/23, the number of businesses with an annual turnover of above UGX 50 million reduced by about 90 percent. Numbers only increased (15 percent) among smaller businesses with an annual turnover of UGX 50 million and below. In the same year, a business climate assessment[1] by the Economic Policy Research Center (EPRC) indicated that tax policy was the major constraint to doing business in Uganda. These and other pieces of evidence give us signals that we need to reflect more on whether indeed our tax policy is facilitating sustainable growth and development.

At the global level, the UN Secretary General has championed discussions around the need to reform the global financing architecture to be more favorable to developing countries. He has advocated for debt restructuring and relief for the vulnerable countries. We are glad that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has recently announced reforms to ensure a more agile approach to their debt restructuring processes, but there is still more to be done. As we prepare to be part of the High-Level Political Forum next month, and the Summit of the Future later in September, Uganda needs to join the rest of the African and global leaders to amplify this call for reforms in the financing system. 

But also at the national level, there are things that we need to pay attention to. We acknowledge efforts of Government and its partners to strengthen revenue growth through the Domestic Revenue Mobilisation Strategy. We all agree that mobilisation of development financing is very important, but we must equally strengthen efficiency, effectiveness, and transparency in the utilisation of these resources at national and sub-national levels for achievement of our development goals. The unfortunate stories we read in the papers about corruption and mismanagement of public resources do not only impact on the value for money for the taxpayers, but also discourage the potential inflow of other development financing such as grants, foreign direct investment, public-private partnerships, and others.

2. Private sector as critical partner in development:

The Addis Ababa Action Agenda, which prescribes the means of implementation for the SDGs, recognises the unique role of the private sector in driving innovation, sustainable production and productivity, job creation, and economic growth. However, mobilisation of private sector financing for SDGs in low-income countries (LICs) and least developed countries (LDCs) is only about 12 percent of the potential compared to 48 percent in upper-middle-income countries.[2] The good news is that business leaders are gradually recognizing the significance and urgency of integrating sustainability into their business practices and strategies. Two weeks ago, the Uganda Bankers’ Association (UBA) launched their Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) framework for the financial sector to boost their sustainability and development impact . It is because they acknowledge that there is no contradiction between business profitability and sustainable practices. 

To achieve the full potential of the private sector as an active partner in sustainable development, it will require Government policies and regulations that provide an environment which motivates and facilitates the private sector to thrive. A more proactive, inclusive and well structured Government-private sector engagement approach based on jointly defined results and regular dialogue will also be critical. 

3. Decentralisation: 

It is well known that Uganda was for many years a model on decentralisation, and many countries implemented devolution basing on the experiences here. However, over years, the objectives of the decentralization reforms established in the mid-1990s have been eroded.  Sub-national authorities and the people they serve have become increasingly less empowered to drive their own development since most decisions are made at the center. The ongoing NDPIV development process presents an opportunity to review and re-model our approach to decentralization. This could include empowering them to generate their own revenue and initiate public private partnerships (PPPs) to complement central government transfers. 

4. Stronger coordination for realisation of the desired development results:

The mid-term review of the Third National Development Plan revealed that only 17 percent of its targets had been achieved mid-way its implementation. We know that many factors were responsible for this dismal performance, some of which were beyond our control. Among the key challenges that hindered attainment of results was the gaps in institutional coordination between the various ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) and between Government and its partners. As we get closer to finalizing of the preparation of the Fourth National Development Plan (NDPIV), we need to improve coordination and strengthen the culture of inclusiveness and collaboration among development actors. We believe that the Programme Implementation Action Plans (PIAPs) that are currently being prepared present an opportunity for Uganda to integrate the national commitments that were made during the global SDG Summit for acceleration of progress on the SDGs. To achieve better results, the Programme Working Groups (PWGs) should be fully activated, with binding terms of engagement and well defined targets, roles and responsibilities.  

5. Parish Development Model

The Parish Development Model (PDM) has featured prominently in this conference since yesterday. It was also identified as the approach through which Government will accelerate inclusive local economic development. I have heard that PDM is currently focused on one pillar, financial inclusion. Your Excellency, it is our belief that the other six pillars are also critical for realisation of the objectives of PDM as they bring important complementarities. 

Your Excellency,

In pursuing these endeavours, the UN system remains available to collaborate with Government to generate the required evidence and create platforms for dialogue with the relevant development actors. While we are a diverse family, the different agencies are committed to using their respective expertise to build synergies to jointly contribute to the achievement of Uganda’s development goals. 

Ladies and Gentlemen,

In conclusion, I wish you all successful deliberations.

Thank you!

[1] https://eprcug.org/publication/lack-of-information-is-affecting-business-operations-under-the-africa-continental-free-trade-area/

[2] https://www.oecd.org/dac/financing-sustainable-development/blended-finance-principles/Making-private-finance-work-for-the-SDGs.pdf