EUROPEAN UNION-CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATION STRUCTURED DIALOGUE ON IMPLEMENTATION OF PRDP

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1 EUROPEAN UNION-CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATION STRUCTURED DIALOGUE ON IMPLEMENTATION OF PRDP BOMAH HOTEL, GULU 10 TH SEPTEMBER

2 We need to make personal commitments to contribute to change in the country Mr. Richard Ssewakiryanga, Executive Director Uganda National NGO Forum 1. Introduction As part of the European Union and Civil Society Structured Dialogue initiative, a reflection meeting on the implementation of the Peace Recovery Development Programme (PRDP) was held at Bomah Hotel Gulu, Uganda on 10 th September, It was organized by the European Union Delegation to Uganda, Uganda National NGO Forum and Gulu District NGO Forum to accord an opportunity to civil society and European Union officials to reflect the implementation of PRDP amidst the recent donor cuts and reported massive corruption in the office of the prime minister. The financial support for the workshop was provided by the European Union Delegation to Uganda. In attendance were 29 male and 13 female participants who included a cross section of key stakeholders in northern Uganda and some representatives from selected organizations at the national level. The meeting also sought to develop practical measures to enhance the contribution of CSOs to the process. This report provides an abridged version of the meeting.. 2. Background to the Meeting The Peace and Recovery Development Plan (PRDP) is an overarching plan whose overall goal is to stabilize Northern Uganda and lay a firm foundation for quicker recovery and development from the afflictions of years of war and conflict. This is a deliberate effort and an affirmative action by the Government with the support of Development Partners, the Private Sector and CSOs to uplift the service delivery levels of Northern Uganda to match those of the rest of the country. Recently, several development partners withdrew their budget support from Uganda worth billions of shillings following the theft of over 50 billion shillings in the Office of the prime minister, threatening post-war rehabilitation in the north and key public investments across the country. The donors also tasked government to take necessary steps to recover the stolen money and hold all the implicated officers accountable. The budget cut is likely to impact heavily on the implementation of key projects that are meant to improve the livelihood of hundreds of poverty stricken citizens in Northern Uganda. Amidst the challenges, we should not lose sight of the strategic objectives of PRDP to ensure recovery and development of northern Uganda. 2

3 It is against this background that the European Union Delegation to Uganda in partnership with the Uganda National NGO Forum and Gulu NGO Forum organized a meeting for CSOs, Development Partner and Local Government Officials to have an in-depth reflection on implementation of PRDP in northern Uganda. 3. Opening Remarks It is not about lamentation but what we can do better as CSOs to revive northern Uganda Mr. Mark Avola, Coordinator Gulu NGO Forum The opening statements were delivered by the Executive Director of Uganda National NGO Forum Mr. Richard Ssewakiryanga, the Programme Officer-Economic and Social Sectors, European Union Delegation to Uganda, Mr. Peter Ashton and the Coordinator Gulu NGO Forum, Mr. Mark Avola. In his remarks, Mr. Mark Avola stated that there is no uniformity in the growth of northern Uganda and it will therefore take time to catch up with the other regions in Uganda. He noted that it is unfortunate that northern Uganda is expected to grow at the same rate as other regions given the lost time and development because of the twenty year conflict. However this is the opportune time to turn the How do we build a firm foundation for a quick recovery of Northern Uganda? lamentation into action as it is the key to recovery of the region. Hence the EU-CSO structured dialogue on PRDP was in the right direction. While giving his opening remarks the Executive Director of Uganda National NGO Forum decried the state of the roads in the region and said that now more than ever civil society needs to be involved in the monitoring of government programmes. He challenged the civil society in Northern Uganda to consider a public campaign against the state of infrastructure in the region. Commenting on the EU-CSO Structured Dialogue initiative, Mr. Peter Ashton highlighted the import of holding EU-CSO structured dialogues to provide both parties an opportunity to share insights on issues of mutual interest. He contrasted the EU-CSO structured dialogue initiative to the previous undesirable state where the relationship was purely financial and where meetings were only held as and when the need arose. 3

4 4. Summary of Presentations and Discussions A presentation was made by Gulu NGO Forum on a survey report titled Short Falls in the implementation processes of PRDP in Northern Uganda to stimulate discussions on the implementation of PRDP in the region. 4.1 A Survey report on Short Falls in the implementation processes of PRDP in Northern Uganda The Survey was conducted by Gulu District NGO Forum to generate baseline information on the implementation processes of PRDP II that would be used to track its implementation in the districts of Amuru, Nwoya and Gulu. The findings pointed to glaring gaps in PRDP implementation; limited awareness on PRDP II as such many of the respondents could not tell the difference between PRDP interventions and other programmes like NAADS and NUSAF; limited participation and engagement in PRDP programming by the beneficiaries leading to ownership challenges; communities expressed dismay at the rampant corruption within the local contractors and service contractors; While police presence in the community is appreciated, there is inadequate deployment and facilitation which hampered timely response to calls, especially in cases of emergency; the state of roads is appalling affecting movement of goods and services; minimal efforts to integrate youth in PRDP and escalating land disputes among others. The report also highlights critical recommendations for the effective implementation of PRDP II including; communities should be fully involved in the implementation of the programme to ensure ownership; youth needs should be integrated in PRDP programming; upscale community awareness to enhance their understanding and appreciation of PRDP interventions through translation of the documents. In addition government should come with a strategy to address the escalating land disputes in the region and also harmonise the formal justice and traditional justice system to enhance justice delivery in northern Uganda. 4.2 Emerging Issues Development partners should consider the allocation of PRDP funds directly to local government or credible CSOs. There is need to upscale PRDP monitoring by CSOs to advance independent review of the process. 4

5 There is need to redefine mechanisms for protection of children given the increasing cases of child prostitution, child labour and child trafficking in the region. The indicators of the PRDP framework are not anchored on the human resource consequently issues of psycho-social support have not been adequately addressed. PRDP did not match the needs and expectations of the people which has created ownership challenges Though PRDP I delivered in the construction sector, accessibility and functionality is an enormous challenge in the region. It is imperative that contractors are mandated to employ at least a percentage of the local population to tackle the issue of youth unemployment. Government provides approximately 80% PRDP grant funding directly to implementing district while some donors provide through on budget support projects which are managed by government and off budget funding without involvement of the government. It is possible that the impact of the donor cuts may not be as significant and government may be using it as a scapegoat to relegate its role in the recovery of the region. The largest percentage of PRDP funding is directly from Government. Appealed to government to reintroduce graduated taxes in order to make citizens more responsive 5. Sharing Experiences on PRDP monitoring CSO representatives from Facilitation for Peace and Development (FAPAD), Kabermaiado District Network, International Alert and Moyo District NGO Forum shared insights on PRDP monitoring in their respective regions. As shared by Mr. Jonathan Odur, Facilitation for Peace and Development (FAPAD) in its efforts to ensure accountability has set up Community Based Civic Clubs to participate in decision making processes within their communities specifically related to PRDP and engage with their local leaders to demand for downward accountability. However these face intimidation and as a result some members of the Civic Clubs have been dropped from the district committees. 5

Kabermaido District Network as presented by Ms. Rosalinda Oyuu monitors PRDP implementation in Kabermaido District to generate evidence for their anti-corruption campaigns on PRDP programming.

Such as Kakure sub county Headquarters; Ochero HC III Staff House among others.

Figure 1: Participants listening in to the presentations In his presentation, Mr.

funds are effected; double accounting where LGMSDP and PRDP fund and report on the same project; lack of transparency by both the district and contractors in sharing the BoQs with the

International Alert also shared a synopsis of their Monitoring Report on the Impact of PRDP on Peace and Conflict in the Northern Uganda. The study covered a total of 21 districts in Uganda.

6 Kabermaido District Network as presented by Ms. Rosalinda Oyuu monitors PRDP implementation in Kabermaido District to generate evidence for their anti-corruption campaigns on PRDP programming. She indicated that PRDP in Teso region has performed dismally and also shared a pictorial of key projects that have stalled since the inception of PRDP. Such as Kakure sub county Headquarters; Ochero HC III Staff House among others. She appealed to district leaders to support CSO monitoring efforts by availing the PRDP plans promptly and ensuring that those implicated in mismanagement of PRDP funds face justice. Figure 1: Participants listening in to the presentations In his presentation, Mr. Drangwilli Santos reechoed the challenges in PRDP implementation in West Nile such as high demand of kickbacks by both political and technical staff thus shoddy works; ghost projects where all funds are effected; double accounting where LGMSDP and PRDP fund and report on the same project; lack of transparency by both the district and contractors in sharing the BoQs with the communities. He stated that it s important that CSOs continue to monitor and sensitize communities on PRDP programmes to ensure that its ultimate objectives are realized. International Alert also shared a synopsis of their Monitoring Report on the Impact of PRDP on Peace and Conflict in the Northern Uganda. The study covered a total of 21 districts in Uganda. It pointed out the following; community level results revealed that confidence in sustained peace and security was mostly attributed to increased presence of security agencies; local government is responsive to community needs; All regions indicated that dispute Resolution Mechanisms address community level security satisfactorily; More than half of the respondents did not have access to increased economic opportunities (69.2%); perceived decrease in the level of grievances between northern and southern 6

7 Uganda. The findings of the survey will inform an advocacy programme to influence the implementation of PRDP. 6. Conclusion and Next Steps 6.1 Closing Remarks In his closing remarks, the Executive Director Uganda National NGO Forum thanked participants for the time spent to develop creative solutions for the challenges of PRDP implementation. He stated that coordination among CSOs can be achieved through joining collective initiatives and thus reiterated the need for more CSOs to join the Black Monday Movement as one of the flagship CSO campaigns against corruption. Lastly he encouraged the local partners to continuously engage the local leaders and use the opportunity to expound on the critical concerns of the local people on PRDP. 6.2 Conclusion There was consensus that CSOs have a critical role to play in the effective implementation of PRDP. However there is need for coordination among CSOS and identification of structures to engage with. As aptly put by one of the participants CSOs should work together to put our country right. CSOs therefore committed to the following; Upscale PRDP monitoring by CSOs to advance an independent review of the PRDP process To continuously sensitize communities on PRDP programming. Develop innovative ways of fighting corruption including the name and shame of corrupt government officials and contractors; award certificates of public shame to ineffective departments. In addition work with the media to expose abuses to governance and accountability Empower communities to demand accountability from their leaders and dispel fear among communities. Organize regular CSO/citizens-Local Government Forums to address issues of mutual concern. CSOs need to engage with government on PRDP based on facts and evidence. All in all, participants echoed the sentiment that the PRDP framework remains a cornerstone for the recovery and development of northern Uganda and committed to 7

8 contributing to the strategic objectives of PRDP to ensure that it is not only well implemented but also delivers a new day break for the region. 8

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