President Yoweri Kaguta Tibuhaburwa Museveni’s decision to suspend biggest NGO funder Democratic Governance Facility (DGF) will not only affect Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) or non-state actors but also state actors such as Parliament and local governments.
According to the DGF website, the following are the state actors and projects being supported by the facility:
Institute of Parliamentary Studies (IPS)
Project title: Capacity Development for District Local Councils in Uganda
Project description: Establishment of an effective framework of engagement to enhance linkages between Local Government Councils and the national Parliament.
Justice Centres Uganda (JCU)
Project title: Enhancing access to justice in Uganda through providing comprehensive quality legal aid services and empowering vulnerable people and communities.
Brief description: The project enables JCU to mobilise and support legal aid by the government. It engages in both legal and field research to identify emerging trends in access to justice and takes lead in advocay on enhancing awareness of communities and duty bearers on legal rights and procedures as well as enabling various individuals and communities to effectively resolve desputes using both litigation and mediation.
Kasese District Local Government (KDLG)
Project title: Empowering Communities to demand Accountability for Enhanced Service Delivery in Kasese District.
Project description: The project interventions are aimed at strengthening processes and structures for Local Government Accountability and will mainly target key local players in planning, local revenue generation, monitoring and value for money audit with the goal to promote efficient, transparent structures that are accountable to the citizens of Kasese District by 2021. The interventions will directly feed into the current Kasese District Local Government Five-year Development Plan 2015/16-2019/20 strategic objectives 7 & 9.
Kigtum District Local Government (KiDLG)
Project title: Promoting Representation and Participation Of Youth In Democratic Governance Processes In Kitgum District.
Project description: Overall, this project seeks to strengthen the District Youth Council (DYC) of Kitgum district to increase and promote its engagement and collaboration with Kitgum District Local Government to enhance the responsiveness of duty bearers in planning and delivering social services for the youth population in the district.
Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development (MoLHUD)
Project title: Deepening good urban governance of urban forums through e-learning platforms in Uganda
Project description: The project is aimed at aiding inclusive development, were ordinary citizens, leaders, policy makers, development partners and the Government working together play a key role in shaping the future of urban areas. The project will provide support and tools to urban forums with a purpose of effectively and sustainably sharing information for development through ICT.
National Bureau for NGOs (NGO Bureau)
Project title: Strengthening the National Bureau for Non-governmental Organizations to improve Civil Society (CSO) health.
Brief description: The project intends to strengthen the NGO Bureau to effectively and efficiently fulfil its mandate of registering, regulating, monitoring, and overseeing the operations of the NGO sector. The project focuses on: (a) strengthened institutional capacity of the NGO Bureau; (b) improved accountability and transparency of the NGO sector. The key areas of intervention are: (i) promoting peaceful co-existence, engagement and mutual trust between NGOs and Government through dialogue and collaboration; and (ii) promoting improved accountability and transparency in the NGO sector. These interventions will enhance the NGO Bureau’s capability in delivering its core mandate and lasting partnership between Government and the NGO sector.
Nebbi District Local Government (NDLG)
Project title: Empowering & Engaging the Youth and the Nebbi Youth Council in local Governance Issues.
Project Description: The project seeks to enable the youth participate effectively and influence planning, budgeting and decision making at all levels in the district. The overall objective of the project is to promote engagement between members of the Nebbi District Youth Council and the district duty bearers so as to enhance youth participation in service delivery and governance in Nebbi District.
New Vision Printing and Publishing Company Limited (Vision Group)
Project title: Promotion of Human Rights and Enhancing Access to Justice through Media Interventions
Brief description: The project is intended to promote observance and protection of human rights; and promotion of access to justice. NVPPCL will use its platforms to increase access to information about people’s legal and human rights; as well as promote accountability for human and legal rights violations. NVPPCL will leverage on its network of journalists and media footprint across Uganda to unearth unreported cases of human rights abuse and access to justice especially in rural and hard-to-reach areas. The project will also contribute to unearthing blockages which prevent poor and vulnerable people from accessing justice. Through investigative journalism, the project will highlight challenges faced by people in using the justice system, thereby encouraging accountability by duty bearers and ultimately, improved access to justice.
Parliament of Uganda (POU)
Project title: Strengthening capacity of the Parliament to exercise its mandate and promote citizens participation in Parliamentary processes
Project description: The project objective is to strengthen various Parliamentary committees and office of the Leader of opposition to execute their mandate
Public Interest Law Clinic, Makerere University (PILAC)
Project title: Using Legal Education to promote public interest lawyering and improve on access to justice
Brief description: The project engages law students in activities such as community outreach, prison visits, legal aid services and internship and also strategic public interest litigation as tools to identify problems that impede access to justice.
Refugee Law Project, Makerere University (RLP)
Project title: Supporting Justice through Formal, Informal and Transitional Mechanisms
Brief description: The project addresses on-going conflict, including violence and torture by state actors, as well as confronting past historical abuses, atrocities and harms resulting from conflicts, thus supporting justice through formal, informal and transitional mechanisms. It also seeks to address current civil and criminal matters for the vulnerable refugees, who must co-exist with Ugandan nationals. It will scale up individual repair, social healing, conflicts documentation, memorialization, and access to justice for forced migrants and advocacy for youth and women participation.
School of Women and Gender Studies, Makerere University (SWGS)
Project title: The Gender Equality Project
Brief description: The project contributes towards upholding gender equality legislation in Uganda through: (a) research that informs improvement in gender equality laws and policies; (b) capacity of civil society actors to propose and advocate for holistic gender equality laws and policies, and (c) engagement of communities in the discourse on gender related legislative reform.
Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC)
Project title: Human Rights and Accountability Project
Brief description: The Human Rights and Accountability Project (HURAP) will address citizen’s (rights holders) awareness gaps that hinder them from engaging with government (duty bearers) as well as strengthening the capacity of government structures to respond to human rights demands from citizens. The project will as well provide opportunities for redress mechanisms to enhance citizen’s access to justice.
Uganda Law Council (ULC)
Project title: Regulation and Supervision of Legal Aid and Probono
Brief description: The project will strengthen ULC’s mandate and role in regulating and supervising legal aid and probono service providers across the country.
Uganda Law Society (ULS)
Project title: Enhancing Access to Justice for the Indigent, Vulnerable and Marginalised Persons and Respect for Human Rights in Uganda
Brief description: The project will improve access to justice and human rights through provision of comprehensive legal aid, Pro Bono services, as well as rule of law in Uganda. ULS provides comprehensive legal aid and Pro Bono services through its regional offices/ clinics with a comprehensive range of services to indigent, marginalized and vulnerable persons.
Source: DGF
