The Government’s National Development Plan (NDP), the successor to the Poverty Eradication Action Plan (PEAP), is currently being developed with an aim to take effect July, 2009. During 2008, the Government developed and further refined the NDP. Sector thematic papers were submitted to the National Planning Authority (NPA), and regional and national consultations held, through which district priorities were developed. The NDP theme has been identified as: “growth, employment and prosperity”. Through conceptualisation and analysis of the economy, the NDP has further delineated priorities into four sectors: i) primary growth sectors, ii) supporting sectors, iii) social sectors, and iv) enabling sectors. Validation is to take place in 2009 prior to launch and dissemination.

The peace process for resolution to the almost 20 years of hostilities between the Lord Resistance Army (LRA) and the Government of Uganda (GoU) has effectively been on hold since April 2008, when the leader of the LRA failed to appear for a planned signing ceremony. Several subsequent meetings organised with the support of the UN SESG for the LRA Affected Areas over the course of the intervening months have also failed to conclude the process. As a result, despite agreement on all agenda items contained within the Juba Peace Process, the Final Peace Agreement (FPA) remains unsigned.

However, the GoU had moved forward with the development of the Peace, Recovery and Development Plan for Northern Uganda (PRDP), which it launched in October 2007. The PRDP presents a comprehensive three-year (2008-2010) framework for humanitarian, recovery and development initiatives across 40 districts in greater northern Uganda. It provides a framework for stakeholder planning, coordination and resource mobilization with the goal of stabilization in order to regain and consolidate peace and lay the foundations for recovery and development in Northern Uganda. The PRDP’s stated aim is to “eradicate poverty and improve the welfare of the people in Northern Uganda”, in an effort to assist the North to catch up with the rest of the country against four PRDP strategic objectives: 1) consolidation of state authority; 2) rebuilding and empowering communities, 3) revitalization of the economy; and 4) peace building and reconciliation.

A number of regional factors have impacted on the situation in Uganda. The implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) between the Government of Sudan and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) originally signed in January 2005. While the CPA officially ended the 21-year civil war between north and south in Sudan and has facilitated the repatriation of more than 120,000 Sudanese refugees from Uganda to date, implementation of the accord has since fallen behind schedule. Tensions in eastern DRC continue to provoke temporary influxes of Congolese refugees into Uganda, most of whom cross the border at night, prompted by rumours of nearby fighting, but return to their homeland during the day. As for the situation in Kenya, while the political violence that flared in the aftermath of the contested December 2007 elections initially prompted an estimated 12,000 Kenyans to flee into Uganda, the majority have now returned to their country of origin, with only some 2,000 Kenyans choosing to retain their refugee status in Uganda in the longer term.

The UNCT supported the government’s preparation for assuming a seat on the UN Security Council, including providing extensive briefings, both oral and written, to Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda, Uganda’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations.

Of note: the UNCT is actively engaged in analysis and related preparedness given the socio-political convergence during 2011, including elections in Uganda and political referendums and/or elections in all countries neighbouring Uganda.

Summary on progress towards UNDAF outcomes

As noted above, the current UNDAF (2006-2010) was developed to foster cohesion of action towards implementation of the MDGs, MD and the national priorities as expressed in the PEAP. With the government’s decision to replace the PEAP with the new NDP in July 2009 the UNCT, with approval of HQ and regional offices, decided to shorten its current UNDAF cycle (2006-2010) by one year to align herself with priorities and timelines of the new NDP.

Other Achievements in 2008

The RC and UNCT actively participated in peace promotion and political engagement, including advocacy with the government on human rights issues related to the ongoing operations against the LRA. The UNCT actively supported the role and function of the UN Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for the LRA-Affected Areas, Joaquim Chissano. The UNCT met on several occasions with the Special Envoy, facilitated his briefings to the diplomatic corps, and provided support to his meetings with President Museveni. The UNCT supported the government’s preparation for assuming a seat on the UN Security Council, including providing extensive briefings, both oral and written, to Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda, Uganda’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations.

The UNCT maintained close contact with UN in neighbouring countries on regional developments, including the significant social upheaval in Kenya which resulted in refugee movements into Uganda. It maintained close communication and coordination with UN in Sudan and DRC with respect to military operations in the DRC related to the LRA. Members of UNCT participated in global and regional meetings on recovery in post-conflict settings, natural disasters and food insecurity.

Summary on progress in UN Reform

The UNCT concentrated further on aligning its priorities and initiatives with national priorities and processes. The UNCT identified the adoption of a new UN Vision Statement as a way to clearly articulate the importance of this alignment.

The shift in focus from the PEAP to the new NDP reflects the evolving emphasis of Government towards economic growth to eradicate poverty as forming the basis of the country’s development. The UN system, being cognisant of its mandate and comparative advantages, articulated its vision for supporting national priorities over the coming years through an emphasis on equality and rights. The Vision states: “The United Nations in Uganda will support Uganda’s capacity to deliver on the National Development Plan, with a focus on Equity and Inclusion, Peace and Recovery, Population and Sustainable Growth”. It articulates clearly and concisely the position of the UN and its support to the NDP and national development priorities. The Vision Statement has become a unifying force for the UN system in Uganda and has served as a reference point for developing UNDAF outcomes and its related CP outcomes and outputs.

The current UNDAF (2006-2010) was developed to foster cohesion of action towards implementation of the MDGs, the MD and national priorities as expressed in the PEAP. With the government’s decision to replace the PEAP with the NDP starting from July 2009, the UNCT in consultation with the GoU and with the approval of RDT, decided to shorten its current UNDAF cycle (2006-2010) by one year to improve alignment with national priorities and timelines. The development of a new UNDAF will enable the UNCT to harmonize the UN assistance cycle with the government’s new NDP and to re-orient and focus its assistance in support of NDP and PRDP, with strong linkages to the sectoral strategies and plans, and to the development partners’ Uganda Joint Assistance Strategy (UJAS).

Early in 2008, various UN agencies undertook situation analyses as part of their Mid-Term Review process. Considering the availability of a large body of analysis from other sources, including the above mentioned situation analyses, the UNCT decided to carry out a Meta Analysis instead of a Common Country Analysis (CCA) for the new UNDAF (2010 to 2014). The PEAP independent evaluation and the evaluation of the development partners’ UJAS informed this framework and the development of the priority areas for intervention. The Meta Analysis was initiated in the fourth quarter of 2008.

In mid-2008, the UNCT travelled to Gulu, in northern Uganda, and held a two-day consultation with partners and local government officials. The meetings, which included extensive participation by Acholi leadership, informed the UNCT’s commitment to further support local structures – including district government – in northern Uganda within the UN’s recovery strategy for Northern Uganda (UNPRAP) and the new UNDAF.

In September, a Design Workshop for the UN System was facilitated by UNDOCO and UN Staff College. The Design Workshop had the following aims: (1) agree on the new UNDAF process and timeline; (2) review strategic priorities; areas of comparative advantage and main outcome areas for the support strategy; (3) agree on joint programming and implementation approaches and resource mobilization modalities for the support strategy. The Strategic Prioritization Retreat (SPR) held in December 2008 enabled the UN System to share their views on the development challenges within Uganda and obtain the necessary feedback from a large number of stakeholders, including key GoU counterparts, CSO and non-resident UN agencies. An UNDAF Taskforce was formed by the UNCT to lead and guide the development process of the UNDAF. To further validate the results of the SPR, the Taskforce recommended that an opinion survey be undertaken to receive feedback and validation on the UN’s comparative advantages. The UN’s comparative advantages identified through this comprehensive series of consultations were: good governance, livelihoods and social services, and are reflected in the outcome areas being developed within the new UNDAF.

In support of national efforts to promote peace and recovery in northern Uganda, the UNCT drafted, in close collaboration with local governments and partners, a Peace Building and Recovery Assistance Plan (UNPRAP) (2009-2011), a common strategy for the UN’s operational activities for the transition from humanitarian relief to recovery and long-term development in northern Uganda. The UNPRAP is aimed at aligning UN interventions with the PRDP and other government frameworks for northern Uganda, as well as facilitating the UN system’s goal to ‘deliver as one’ in Uganda.

UNPRAP was developed through a process of in-depth analysis and consultation. A detailed analysis of the various frameworks (PRDP, PEAP, Karamoja Integrated Disarmament and Development Plan-KIDDP, the various peace agreements within the Juba Process and the evolving NDP) was carried out with the purpose of harmonizing the UN’s recovery strategies for the North with national priorities. The UNCT undertook a joint review process in order to ensure effective alignment of UN coordination frameworks and individual agency country programmes with national frameworks and priorities. This process included a review of the new government frameworks for northern Uganda as well as newly available assessments, surveys and studies about the situation in the North. The UNCT further reviewed its own experiences and the lessons learned in its extensive humanitarian and development engagement in northern Uganda. Thorough consultations were held with central and local government officials, development and civil society partners to seek input on UN priorities in the North. The Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development (MOFPED), local government representatives as well as relevant GoU line ministries, NGO and development partners were consulted in the planning.

Based on this review and consultation, the UN has identified the following areas in which it can add value to achievement of the PRDP strategic priorities, which will frame its recovery assistance in northern Uganda: (1) human rights, justice and reconciliation; (2) local governance; (3) social services (education, health, nutrition and HIV/AIDS, water and environmental sanitation); and (4) livelihoods and socio-economic safety nets. The UNPRAP will address these priorities in the geographic areas of North Central Uganda, North Eastern Uganda (Karamoja), and Northwest Uganda (West Nile), where the UN has existing presence and capacities upon which to build.

The priorities and focus areas articulated in the UNPRAP are envisaged to form a significant part of the new UNDAF. The UNPRAP outcomes will dovetail with the new UNDAF under the UNDAF and Country Programme Outcomes, which are currently being developed. The modalities for UNPRAP’s integration into the UNDAF are being developed as part of the UNDAF operationalisation strategy.

The UN has provided technical support to the national development strategies and plans through participation in the key stakeholder meetings like the expanded board of the National Planning Authority (NPA). The UN has also provided both financial and technical support to the development of sector thematic papers, which have been key inputs in the preparation of the draft NDP. These include sector papers on HIV/AIDS, environment and natural resources, health and governance. Furthermore, the UN has been involved in supporting the preparation of the Vision 2035 currently under review. This is a continuous process and support will be in the areas of capacity building, generation of strategic papers and advocacy for community involvement.

ii) Support to MDG-Based National Development Strategies

The UN has continued to support the production of the disaggregated district MDGs progress reports. Two reports were produced for the districts of Kasese and Soroti, while memoranda of understanding were signed to produce an additional five disaggregated MDG reports. The capacity of district teams to produce these reports has been enhanced through training in research methodology, measuring MDG indicators and MDG-based planning. The UN continues to build capacity for monitoring and documenting MDG progress. Staff in UBoS and MOFPED has been trained to produce several MDGs assessment reports such as the Government Outlays Analysis Report and Development Cooperation Reports.

iii) Progress toward Capacity Development and Aid Effectiveness

The UN took proactive steps in support of aid coordination systems in Uganda. The UN assumed chairmanship of Karamoja Working Group (KWG) and was actively involved in the Northern Uganda Recovery and Development (NURD) group. UNCT members were likewise actively involved in the Local Development Partners’ Group (LDPG) chaired by the World Bank. The RC represented the UN system in the Partners for Democracy and Governance group (PDG). On the humanitarian side, the HC continued to show leadership through the local IASC and initiated discussions on the transition of humanitarian clusters towards government-led sector working groups.

The UN system supported the government in their effort to identify both on- and off-budget funding in support of recovery in the North (PRDP). The UN provided the MOFPED information from the global financial tracking system (FTS) for humanitarian funding in support of the assistance to the North, and several Agencies, Funds and Programmes provided the government details of their financial expenditures in the North. Likewise, the UNCT participated in the Uganda Joint Assistance Strategy (UJAS) review and made recommendations for its successor instrument. Near the end of 2008, the UN participated in the initial conceptualization of the Aid Management Platform, which will be a significant undertaking of the UN and Breton Woods Institutions in 2009.

iv) Joint programming and HACT

The Joint UN Emergency health nutrition and HIV/AIDS programme in North and North Eastern Uganda began implementation in January 2007 supported by DFID through the cap. Initially a one-year programme, the UN implementing partners requested a no-cost extension in January 2008 to enable them complete planned activities, which were completed in October 2008.

The stated goal of the joint programme was “reduced morbidity and mortality among the internally displaced persons, returning and returned populations and those affected by cattle rustling in the Acholi, Lango and Karamoja sub-regions and in the two district of Amuria and Katakwi in the Teso sub-region”. The Project Completion Report submitted to DFID in October 2008 noted some key achievement. These include: substantially increased the proportion of approved posts filled by Health professionals increased functional access to health centres by rehabilitating and equipping health facilities; increased to 60% the number of children who are managed according to IMCI guidelines; increased immunization coverage for measles to over 80%; significantly increased the number of people accessing ART in the region; scaled up malaria prevention; and contributed to a reduction in the case fatality ratio of epidemic disease.

The joint programme also undertook a SAM which formed the basis for the development of the health component of the PRDP and the 2008 CAP and strengthened coordination of humanitarian partners; provided technical and logistic support to MoH and the 40 PRDP districts to develop district specific PRDP plan and the health sector recovery strategy which will link PRDP to the district specific plan. Through the joint programme, the UN also provided financial and technical supported to MoH and UBoS to prepare for and conduct mini health and demographic surveys in Acholi and Karamoja sub-regions, the findings of which are expected to form the basis for planning recovery activities in the nine districts OF Acholi and Karamoja region and for evaluating PRDP implementations.

The UN Joint Team on HIV/AIDS has been operational for two years, representing two years of reform on Delivering as One UN on HIV. The reform for response to AIDS is a fore runner of the UN reform in Uganda. It has impacted the way other UNDAF outcomes are being addressed in the system and has informed other UN reform processes within Uganda and the region.

Joint planning based on UN comparative advantage to achieve collective results has led to improved prioritization, reduced duplication and overlap. It has enhanced cross fertilization of perspectives, approaches and skills, has assisted agencies to strengthen and refocus on the areas assigned to them, and has assisted agencies in rationalizing use of resources. The Joint Team implemented a system of joint approach and planning with the line ministries, overcoming the tendency to hold bilateral engagement with the same ministries and resulting in enhanced coordination and harmonization. As the division of labour becomes operational, appropriate agencies have become increasingly responsible for their respective outcome areas. Some agencies have re-focused their support to be more strategic and have improved their process of engagement. The process has also clarified for government and other partners the UN’s working modalities. Institutional review and subsequent strengthening of agencies’ capacities resulted in the clarification of roles and mandate.

The UN System in Uganda further registered significant progress in the implementation of the Harmonized Approach to Cash Transfers (HACT), including conducting orientation for the staff, Government, donors and implementing partners to enable preparedness for HACT implementation. A total of sixty-one UNICEF and UNFPA implementing partners were assessed in 2008, bringing the total number of implementing partners assessed to 116 since inception in 2006. A micro-assessment report was prepared highlighting UNDP-Uganda’s HACT experience since 2006.

Key aspects of the proposed 2009 workplan

The UN will continue to enhance coordination of emergency preparedness and recovery efforts of UNCT members and relevant IASC members. An up to date and relevant preparedness plan will be prepared in consultation with UNCT and IASC, implementation of plans will begin and shared as appropriate with neighbouring countries and HQ. Security risk assessments for all locations in country will be completed by the end of the year and signed off by SMT and distributed to HQ. The coordination role and capacity of the RC Office will be strengthened in order to enhance the UN in Uganda ‘Delivering as One’

In closing, on behalf of the UNCT, I wish to acknowledge DOCO for their continuous support. We, the UNCT in Uganda, remain committed to the people of Uganda. The UN in Uganda will continue to reposition itself to provide enhanced support towards national development priorities and humanitarian challenges. We affirm our commitment to support the realization of the Millennium Declaration and the MDGs, implement UN Reform and adhere to the principles of the Paris Declaration.

Recommendations