Remarks at National Commemoration of United Nations Day

• Right Honourable Justine Kasule Lumumba, Minister of General Duties, Office of the Prime Minister and Focal Point Minister for SDGs
• The Resident City Commissioner Mbarara City
• The Mayor Mbarara City
• The Resident District Commissioner Mbarara District
• The LC Chairperson Mbarara District
• The Elders, Political and Religious Leaders
• The Head Techer Mbarara High School
• Heads of UN Agencies in Uganda
• Representatives of the Civil Society and the Private Sector
• Colleagues from the United Nations Family
• Ladies and Gentlemen

Good morning to you all

On behalf of the UN family, I also welcome you all to the commemoration of United Nations Day 2022.  This year the United Nations marks her 77th anniversary.

First and foremost, I would like to thank the Administration of Mbarara High School for hosting us. I truly appreciate you partnering with us to make this day colourful. I would also like to thank Mbarara City leadership for the warm welcome. I was told about Mbarara City being at the heart of the land of milk and honey; and indeed, I have not been disappointed. Since I arrived yesterday, I have enjoyed milk and honey, and now waiting to taste the famous “eshabwe” which my staff from this region have been telling me about.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Every year, the UN Day is observed around the world on 24th October. Due to unforeseen circumstances, we could not have commemorations on this same day hence the event today. In the spirit of ‘Leaving No One Behind’ and popularising the Sustainable Development Goals at the grassroots, the UN Family in Uganda selected Mbarara City to be the host for the UN Day 2022 commemoration event.  

I am glad that we decided to come to Mbarara City because it has given us an opportunity to interact with the community and the students in Mbarara.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The theme for UN Day 2022 is, “Accelerating the Achievement of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)” which aims to raise awareness about the activities of the United Nations, the SDGs and their complementarity to achieving Uganda’s national priorities enshrined in the third National Development Plan (NDP III) and Vision 2040. I encourage you all to spare some time and visit the exhibition tents and ask the colleagues there to tell you more about the UN and SDGs and how they are expressed in NDPIII so that when you go back home, you are able tell your families and the neighbours about the UN and its work in Uganda.

Since the adoption of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs in 2015, we have made progress in many areas, however, overall, action to meet the Goals has not advanced at the speed or scale required. The UN Secretary-General declared 2020 as the commencement of the Decade of Action for accelerating sustainable solutions to all the world’s biggest challenges ranging from poverty, inequality, hunger and climate change; however, the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine have caused some reversals in global progress, which require renewed efforts to accelerate the achievement of the SDGs through NDPIII. I call upon each one of you present today to reflect on what can be done differently and what more we can do to achieve the SDGs in Uganda, because we all have a role to play. This should not be left to the government and development partners alone, each person can do something, big + small. Every action matters.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I would like to remind all of us here that the United Nations is our collective intergovernmental organisation, and it was founded in 1945. Currently it is made up of 193 Member States including Uganda, and her work is guided by the purposes and principles contained in its founding Charter and is uniquely positioned to convene around global issues.

In countries like Uganda, the face of the UN is the projects and programmes we work on with the government and the people, but the UN is greater than its projects and programmes. The UN is fundamentally a meeting place for all humanity to discuss multilateral issues. It is the only such forum we have, and we need it now more than ever. I always ask all especially the young people, to understand the UN views, its function because we need ideas to make the UN better.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Through the Cooperation Framework (2021 – 2025), the UN in Uganda continues to work with the government and the people of Uganda towards achieving the results and aspirations of the third National Development Plan (NDPIII), 2030 Agenda and Vision 2040. On behalf of the United Nations, I pledge our continuous support to the government and the people of Uganda.

As I conclude, I re-echo the UN Secretary-General’s call for all of us to work together to end extreme poverty, reduce inequalities, and rescue the Sustainable Development Goals. He calls upon us to give peace a chance and end conflicts that jeopardize lives, futures and global progress. He calls on us to have Hope in the United Nations.

Once again, I take this opportunity to thank you all for accepting our invitation, the Mbarara City leadership for the warm welcome, Mbarara High School Leadership for hosting us and the UN family, particularly the team based in Mbarara, for organising and participating in the event. I also thank all our development partners for always walking with us and supporting peace and the development agenda in Uganda.

Happy UN Day commemorations to us all.

Thank you