UN Resident Coordinator visits Northern Uganda to assess UN support

UN Resident Coordinator in Uganda, Mr. Leonard Zulu, has concluded a three-day field mission to Northern Uganda to assess how the United Nations Cooperation Framework 2021–2025 has contributed to communities and draw lessons to inform implementation of the new Cooperation Framework 2026–2030.

From 14 to 16 September, Mr. Zulu visited communities and UN-supported interventions in Kiryandongo, Lamwo and Adjumani, engaging with local authorities, communities, refugees and UN staff on the ground. The mission provided an opportunity to see first-hand how UN support is contributing to livelihoods, health, water and sanitation, nutrition, agriculture and protection, while identifying areas where interventions can be strengthened.

A key lesson from the mission was the importance of connecting interventions across sectors and ensuring that programmes respond to the realities faced by communities. Discussions highlighted the need for continued attention to health and nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), emergency agriculture, mental health, gender-based violence and adolescent pregnancy, alongside support to strengthen livelihoods and resilience.

In Kiryandongo, Settlement Commandant under the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), Mr. Vincent Amaruma, welcomed the UN team and called for partners to continuously reflect on how they can work collectively and efficiently despite limited resources. He also emphasized the need for refugee interventions to increasingly promote self-reliance rather than dependency.

In Lamwo, Deputy Chief Administrative Officer Mr. Samuel Logu stressed the importance of addressing food insecurity, noting that “a hungry stomach will do anything to survive; we need to take care of the food situation in this region.” The Lamwo Resident District Commissioner Mr. William Komakech also called for greater focus on mindset change to enable young people to engage in livelihood programmes and move away from destructive activities.

The mission further highlighted the value of Uganda’s open-door refugee policy and the need for sustainable infrastructure and community-based approaches that can be expanded to reach more people.

“Uganda’s open-door policy towards refugees remains important, but sustaining it will require continued partnership, investment and effective coordination,” Mr. Zulu said during the mission debrief.

He also underscored the importance of ensuring that UN-supported initiatives have a clear purpose and generate lasting results for the people they serve. “Without clarity of purpose, valuable initiatives risk losing momentum or impact,” he said, emphasizing the need to communicate results and strengthen the sustainability of interventions.

The lessons from the field mission will contribute to ongoing efforts to strengthen UN programming under the Cooperation Framework 2026–2030 and ensure that future support is increasingly responsive, coordinated and focused on sustainable impact.