UGANDA NATIONAL NGO FORUM

Transcription

1 U N N G O F A N N U A L R E P O R T UGANDA NATIONAL NGO FORUM ANNUAL REPORT Revised

2 U N N G O F A N N U A L R E P O R T

3 U N N G O F A N N U A L R E P O R T Contents Foreword... 5 Acknowledgement... 6 THE CITIZEN IS CENTRAL CIVIL SOCIETY STRENGTHENING CITIZEN MOBILIZATION, GOVERNANCE MONITORING, CIVIC SPACE AND CAMPAIGNS POLICY AND ADVOCACY COMMUNICATION AND KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT FINANCE AND CORPORATE SERVICES A Tribute to the Late Gen. Aronda Nyakairima

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5 U N N G O F A N N U A L R E P O R T Foreword Uganda National NGO Forum s (UNNGOF) overall goal is to; enable all Ugandans, especially the poor and vulnerable to improve their wellbeing and safeguard their rights. UNNGOF has continued to pursue this goal through building a strong and well-coordinated civil society sector as well as influencing governance and policy processes. I am honored to chair the current Board of Directors for UNNGOF. Through our oversight function as a Board, we have interacted variously with many members and the larger civil society organization s fraternity in the programs of UNNGOF. We do appreciate the commitment, energy and zeal that many members have exhibited during the year It was a busy year and one that set the pace for many things that we shall be doing in This year marked the end of the strategic plan. We are working hard with the secretariat to ensure that we have another even more focused and award-winning strategic plan for the next three years. In this regard we look to the members and friends for support with ideas, innovations and resources on how to make our platform stronger and more relevant. This report highlights that work that we have done as UNNGOF and I would like to join the secretariat in thanking all of you who make a contribution to the fulfillment of our mandate. We know that it takes a lot of effort and time to ensure that each activity is implemented. Indeed with the participation of members and the larger civil society fraternity, as a platform we risk becoming irrelevant. We are grateful that you have kept UNNGOF relevant and a leader in civil society. We look forward to the continued support of each and every one of you. We thank all our Development Partners, Government leaders and local level partners for always heeding to our calls when we approach them to build partnerships. Thank you for making us proud and keeping UNNGOF relevant in the lives of Ugandans. Hon. Idah Mehangye CHAIRPERSON BOARD OF DIRECTORS ( ) 5

6 Acknowledgement The year 2015 was an eventful year. The UNNGOF Strategic Plan ( ) ended and while implementing it, we learnt a lot, touched the lives of many and influenced numerous policies. An evaluation of the Strategic Plan will be conducted in the first half of 2016 for us to draw lessons for our next strategy which is in the pipeline. We marked several milestones in the development community; Government of Uganda launched the 2nd National Development Plan that is implementing Vision 2040; The Sustainable Development Goals were launched at a United Nations General Assembly session chaired by Uganda s President and the Foreign Minister steered discussions as President of the United Nations General Assembly for Also, Parliament passed the NGO Act - which is now law. It was the year preparations for the General Elections started was indeed a busy year and as civil society, we worked tirelessly on several fronts. Our Policy and Advocacy work as well as our civic engagement work expanded significantly to stay in sync with the developments around us. We look back on 2015 with relief and satisfaction. We achieved at lot through several long standing partnerships both locally and internationally, and with Government. We creatively influenced several governance and development processes. The CSO footprint is quite visible in the electoral process; we observed elections countrywide, researched voting trends through opinion polls, studied security, researched elections money issues, gender and several other dimensions. We also influenced the National Budget and the National Development Plan and are the only stakeholders monitoring the Vision Our campaigns like Black Monday and the Citizens Manifesto continue to influence the shape and character of governance. This report gives readers some flavor of our work. A detailed Impact Report 2015 is available on our website and our social media platforms. We hope you will enjoy this report and the short video trailer that accompanies it. We thank - most graciously - our partners countrywide and beyond. Specially, we thank the 34 District Networks of the Support Program for Advocacy Networks (SPAN) and Citizen Manifesto partners, who are the face of our work at the sub-national level. We also extend our gratitude to the many organizations that are not our members but choose to associate and work with us; government; private sector and media institutions that directly work with us; the Parliament of Uganda; National Planning Authority; the Office of the Prime Minister; Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development; Ministry of Internal Affairs and the NGO Bureau (formerly NGO Registration Board); Uganda Police and Uganda People s Defense Forces as well as the Local Governments and Resident District Commissioners across the country. The media are important to our work the Kampala and upcountry FM Stations, TV Stations particularly NTV, WBS and NBS, as well as the print media Observer Newspaper, Vision Group, The Independent and Monitor Newspapers that have been very instrumental to sharing our work. We treasure these relationships, they may not always be cordial, but we know that our collective mission to improve the lives of Ugandans is more important than any operational differences. All this work has been made possible by some very understanding, generous and encouraging Development Partners. In a special way, we appreciate support by the Democratic Governance Facility that has given us core funding, the United Nations Development Program, Ford Foundation and International NGO partners like ICCO, NDI and Action Aid International Uganda, inter alia. We remain eternally grateful to the Citizens of Uganda who associate with us, receive our messages and answer our calls on many occasions. We are proud that our work and activities were able to reach at least 15 million Ugandans. To you all we say Thank You! Richard Ssewakiryanga EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR U N N G O F A N N U A L R E P O R T

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9 U N N G O F A N N U A L R E P O R T THE CITIZEN IS CENTRAL It is important to recognize that for civil society, future sustainability may not be so much about paying their bills (although that is important), but it is also about staying relevant, so that civil society work meets the needs of citizens and civil society continues to be relevant to citizens that is what sustainability entails. UNNGOF Strategic Plan UNNGOF s theory of change as per the Strategic Plan premised that to build a strong and engaged citizenry in Uganda, we had to build responsive and relevant citizen organisations that work as interlocutors of knowledge and information to inform citizens about their obligations, rights and responsibilities. A strong NGO platform should contribute to the creation of a coherent, respected and well informed sector. Analysis showed that civil society in Uganda stand between a disillusioned citizenry and a largely ineffective government public service. Our theory of change promoted the understanding that we need to significantly engage policy makers in various ways to influence development processes. Our overall goal was to enable all Ugandans, especially the poor and vulnerable, improve their wellbeing and safeguard their rights. We sought to do this by: building a strong and well-coordinated civil society sector; ensuring that citizens are 9 mobilized, informed and actively participate in governance processes; and that good policy and practice alternatives are generated for government at all levels. We recognised that Uganda has over 10,000 registered NGOs but only one third of these are in operation. This rapid expansion of civil society has made many organizations struggle to remain relevant to citizens and engage meaningfully with decision makers. We believe that one of the missing links has been the absence of a strong mechanism that builds civil society and allows these citizen organizations to connect with citizens and their concerns; at the same time contribute to the development of citizen focused policies. With our Strategic Plan, we set out to be the missing link. Civil society in the Uganda requires leadership that is open, accommodative and decisive. We set out to offer that leadership for the sector.

10 2015 AT A GLANCE Launch of #Action2015; Public march with about 300 citizens, 15 year olds petition presented to the Speaker CM Regional and Interest Group launches; 14 launches of the 14 regional and 13 Interest Group Manifestos 5th National CSO Fair, #CSOFair2015; 204 exhibitors, over 5000 visitors, 22 parallel sessions, over 2million social media impressions AGM; 300 members in attendance, 2 financial partnerships with UAP and UTL Launch of Citizens Manifesto; #PeoplePower2016, 1000 participants, televised live on NTV, over 11 million impressions on social media Black Monday Campaign: 3 years, 34 editions, 20,000 citizens reached per month on average. Launched the No Vote Buying and Selling Campaign. 2nd Citizens day - Global Citizens Day of Action, #LightTheWayUg; Over 3000 citizens in attendance, over 1.6 million impressions on social media The Road to 2016; 1 high level scenario building session of 70 participants and 1 public dialogue with over 300 in attendance National Consultation on the SGs Forum; 1 CSO statement presented at the 4th EAC SG Forum, 50 participants Account before you Promise Campaign Launch and Debate, #2011Promises; Over 1000 participants, live televised event, over 3 million viewers, over 16 million social media impressions U N N G O F A N N U A L R E P O R T Socio Political Governance Opinion Poll; 6000 citizens polled, findings shared on live televised show, On The Spot, over 3.5 million viewers 5th National Anti-Corruption Convention, #ACC2015; Over 900 participants, over 4.5 million social media impressions, launch of East Africa Bribery Index and I Paid A Bribe website. CSO Pan African Preparatory Meeting for the 3rd Financing for Development Conference; 70 participants from 25 African Countries, 1 CSO Statement shared at FFD3 Conference UNNGOF Selection as Co-Chair on Behalf of CPDE, Task Team, CSO Development Effectiveness and Enabling Environment

11 U N N G O F A N N U A L R E P O R T CIVIL SOCIETY STRENGTHENING To achieve a strong and well- coordinated civil society sector with information and capacity to effectively engage in and contribute to development processes, this programme set out to develop the capacity of Uganda s civil society so the sector can deliver its core mandate and influence objectives, development policies and practices. Capacity Development Over 2015, we built the capacities of over 628 CSOs in effective board management and leadership, networking and collaboration, women empowerment, oversight functions. Human rights and research. These CSOs now implement their plans successfully, mobilize citizens; conduct research for new knowledge; and build capacity for their member organizations. They are able to attract more funding with their improved fundraising capacities and have strengthened relations with local governments. They align their plans with those of their districts and address key citizens demands and priorities. The District Networks (DNs) grew in their capacity to competently equip their member organizations with skills in internal governance, resource mobilization and advocacy. These DNs have become information hubs that service NGOs at the sub national level. We improved the ability of our members to fundraise, document and improve systems in their organizations and deliver on our mandate of membership servicing. Through these trainings, we grew our membership to 590, up from 519 in

12 There is improved ability of our members to fundraise, generate knowledge through research, for example, Pader NGO Forum s survey on the state of maternal health in the district, and the injustices of the Land tenure system in Acholi region. Within the SPAN infrastructure, DNs budget outside SPAN financing grew from UGX. 2,471,158,500 in 2013 to UGX 2,909,165,000 in Collective SPAN Membership grew to 3,835 members from % of DNs have signed MoUs with district Local Governments and in some cases, with sub county local governments. NGOs in the 60 districts under SPAN have been co-opted to their districts Technical Planning Committees Kapchorwa CSO Association attracted funding from other partners, budget rose from 40 Million in 2013 to 240 Million in 2015 Development of the Sub National Infrastructure interlocutors between Government and citizens. The capacity of DNs to fundraise for their strategic plans has also increased tremendously. Strengthening District Level Advocacy work We continued our efforts to develop and strengthen CSOs at the sub-national level through our SPAN infrastructure. We witnessed increased collaboration between local government and CSOs in development planning processes and service delivery. Our 34 DNs were supported to become strong local accountability district networks that have remained District Networks fundraised for their strategic plans upto UGX 2,909,165,000 The DNs have grown into strong advocacy hubs that respond to local challenges and generate evidence. This evidence empowers citizens to initiate their own U N N G O F A N N U A L R E P O R T

13 U N N G O F A N N U A L R E P O R T development agenda and transform their livelihoods and welfare. The advocacy space provided by the DNs strengthened opportunities for citizens to interface with their leaders. Currently, our regional hubs are able to comfortably extend their reach beyond just the districts of their operation and through their own members and infrastructure. Our work with sub national organizations has promoted work in collective initiatives these networks have supported the distribution of the Black Monday Newsletter, the collection of data and dissemination of the Vision 2040 survey. Under our partnerships with organizations like ACODE and CSBAG, they supported engagement with local government on budget issues. The Political Competition and Consensus Building (PCCB) Programme In partnership with National Democratic Institute, UNNGOF supported 6 Local advocacy hubs, making them instrumental in strengthening community competencies to demand for accountability and better service delivery largely on youth and women rights. With over 300 community facilitators, 32 community clinics and parliaments, youth and women galvanised citizen power to engage with their political leadership through debates, petitions and collaborations with leaders. These are targeted towards changing the quality of public services in the education, health and water sector. Key outcomes were the establishment of community infrastructure with resident capacity to sustainably engage with service delivery monitoring and accountability engagement. The Rwenzori Women and Youth Agendas that will remain a social contract upon which leadership performance will be measured in the region and beyond engagement. The 2015 Annual SPAN Convention This was held from 8th 9th December 2015 at Esella Country Hotel, on the theme, Consolidating the gains and strategising for the future. Over 70 partners were in attendance and comprised of DN Coordinators and their Chairpersons, invited regional partners, Local Government political and technical staff, development partners including USAID GAPP, EU, ULGA and DGF. The convention provided an opportunity for mentorship, self-examination and cross learning for better collaborations and delivery. We have established strong and vibrant local advocacy platforms with the capacity to link local and national issues, effectively mobilising citizens to participate in their own development processes. The convention re-affirmed the importance of networking and collaborations to scale up impact. Partners showcased their different advocacy innovations to mobilize citizens for greater accountability and transparency. Our continued efforts to develop and strengthen CSOs at the sub-national have increased collaboration between local government and CSOs in development planning processes and service delivery. Through the social accountability learning events, our 34 DNs and their membership were supported to become strong local accountability district networks that have remained interlocutors between Government and citizens at district, regional and national level for effective service delivery. The Women agenda represents the will and need of women in Kabarole and Kamwenge districts and this should be the basis for accountability by all leaders 13

14 Membership and Constituency Servicing 90% membership satisfaction as evidenced in the evaluation feedback forms for the 2015 AGM. The 13th Annual General Meeting We held the 13th AGM on 19th March 2015 at Pope Paul Memorial Hotel. 300 members were in attendance, an increment from 249 participants in the 12th AGM. The pre-agm session provided an opportunity for members to critically examine their commitment towards the Quality Assurance Certification Mechanism and strategies, and embrace the initiative. There is demonstrable evidence of continued trust and confidence in UNNGOF by NGOs and other stakeholders across the country; seen in the growing participation in our events such as the AGM, regional CSO days, thematic meetings, CSO days and conventions. We used these events to offer thought leadership to NGOs both our members and other constituencies.the AGM continues to breed significant demand for UNNGOF to play an even more prominent role in bringing together NGOs across the country. We realized over 50% membership satisfaction in UNNGOF work, reflected in the testimonies and feed back at the Annual General meetings for As a model, majority of our membership at both national and sub national level adopted our innovation to have pre- AGM events as an avenue to service their membership and for capacity building. Our membership has grown to 602 members. We improved the quality of our services; Clear and recognizable membership numbers unique to each member, improved issuance of membership certificates, clearer guidelines to join membership, membership mailing group to share information, and a deliberate involvement of members in our activities and those of partners. NGOs in the country continue to look at UNNGOF as a source of information as well as a partner in collective advocacy work. According to the 2014 UNNGOF membership satisfaction survey conducted by National Democratic Institute, 80% of the members indicated that they gained skills from UNNGOF events while 78% scored UNNGOF learning events as better organized than others, a model they would take on. U N N G O F A N N U A L R E P O R T

15 U N N G O F A N N U A L R E P O R T Promotion of QuAM As a promoter of the Quality Assurance Mechanism (QuAM) for NGOs in Uganda, 2015 saw continued efforts to sensitize NGOs on QuAM and prepare them for certification through trainings and preparatory workshops, QuAM presentations and clinics at other collective events. A total of 332 NGOs were prepared for certification through our efforts, increasing the appreciation of QuAM by NGOs across the country. During the 2015 pre-agm events, a QuAM clinic and presentation was made to over 250 members. DNs have since embraced the practice of holding QuAM clinics and presentations prior to their own AGMs, further increasing awareness on QuAM. Over 5000 stakeholders (NGOs and other CSO actors) were given opportunity to learn about QUAM during the 2015 CSO Fair where the QuAM Secretariat utilized the opportunity and huge numbers to exhibit and share information on QuAM. The QuAM Initiative has also become a learning tool for CSOs in other African countries e.g. Ghana, Kenya and South Africa. In Ghana, the role of QuAM promoters as in the case of Uganda has been acclaimed as an important practice for the success of the Initiative. In South Africa, the Ugandan QuAM Initiative is highly acknowledged by AGNA. In partnership with the QuAM Secretariat, and with support from the Democratic Governance Facility (DGF), the 5th QuAM Award Ceremony was held on 26th June 2015 and 36 NGOs were officially recognised as having successfully gone through the QuAM certification process and were awarded certificates. 23 of the 36 organizations that received certification are members of UNNGOF. This was made possible by the intensive training and preparation carried out by UNNGOF across the country with her members and other NGOs. 15

16 The UNNGOF members QuAMed were: Mid-Western Region Centre for Democracy and Human Rights, Childcare and Youth Empowerment Foundation, Bufumira Islands Development Association, African Youth Initiative Network, Western Ankole Civil Society Forum, Kaberamaido District NGO Forum, Education Local Expertise Centre Uganda, World Voices Uganda, Cross Cultural Foundation of Uganda, Development Foundation for Rural Development, Facilitation for Peace and Development, Teso Initiative for Peace, Soroti Rural Development Agency, Katakwi District Development Actors Network, Masindi District NGO Forum, Rural Effort for Action in Development, Community Development and child welfare Initiative, Kick Corruption out of Kigezi (KICK), Kibaale District Civil Society Organisations Network, HESAWA Foundation, AVSI Foundation, Anti-Corruption Coalition Uganda, WaterAid Uganda. Uganda Social Protection Platform (USPP) As the Chair of the Uganda Social Protection Platform, UNNGOF, in partnership with Kiboga NGO Forum, organized four debates on Social Protection in the districts of Mpigi, Masaka, and Bulange Mengo. Planners, Community Development Officers, CSOs, Religious Leaders, elders and the Media. Key outcomes from the SAGE meetings were; Common consensus on the need to rollout SAGE, Commitment by leaders to use their structures to lobby for the roll out of SAGE in all districts, Generate accurate statistics on elders to guide the planning, local governments/councils to pass policies that respond to eldermands, need for elders representation at all governance levels to ease lobbying and mobilizing other development partners to support elders. National Public Dialogue on Social Protection UNNGOF, with support from the Expanding Social Protection (ESP) Programme of the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, organized a public dialogue on 23rd April 2015 at Kampala Serena Hotel. The theme was Social Protection: Towards a more inclusive growth strategy for Uganda. Attended by over 300 participants from Government, CSOs, Development Partners, Religious Leaders, Political Party leaders, academia, media and the general public, it was presided over by. Hon. Suleiman Madada, the Minister of state for the Elderly, who pledged total government support for the National roll-out of SAGE. Social Assistance Grant for Empowerment (SAGE) UNNGOF also participated in the USPP study tours organized by Help Age International to Kyankwanzi on 13th February 2015 and Kyegegwa on 20th February The tours enhanced leaders awareness of the operations of the SAGE program and garnered commitment by all leaders to engage government, especially the President, over the need for a National Roll-out of the programme. We conducted five SAGEawareness meetings in the five regions of Ankole/Kigezi Region, Rwenzori Region, North Karamoja, Bugisu and West Nile Region. These meetings were attended by RDCs, District Speakers, LC V Chairpersons, District U N N G O F A N N U A L R E P O R T

17 U N N G O F A N N U A L R E P O R T CITIZEN MOBILIZATION, GOVERNANCE MONITORING, CIVIC SPACE AND CAMPAIGNS We desire to influence internal and external (including global) operating environment issues of CSOs and to ensure a positive environment for NGO operations and citizen engagement in governance processes. Operating Environment The NGO Policy and Relations with the NGO Board UNNGOF has cultivated and nurtured a close working relationship with the NGO Board, through the joint popularization and dissemination of the NGO Policy, increasing the level of confidence, and NGO DMCs were formed in the districts of Arua, Masindi, Hoima, Kasese, Mbale, Adjumani, Kalangala, and Mukono 17

18 respect between the two entities. The awareness generated on the NGO Policy was instrumental in supporting citizens and their organizations to make compelling arguments for a progressive NGO Law. We were also able to provide space to the National NGO Board during the National Civil Society Fair, to popularize the policy and receive feedback about the work of the board from over 5000 Citizens and their organizations. With the National NGO Board, UNNGOF participated in a study tour to the Netherlands. This was organised by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Civil Society Division, for guests to learn, identify, document and share good practice on registration, regulation, promotion, coordination and monitoring of NGO activities. We also held 4 regional NGO-NGO Board Meetings with an average of 60 NGOs per region. The joint work on the NGO Policy fostered the formation of NGO District Monitoring Committees as per the policy, with ample representation from NGOs. Through the NGO Directors Meetings attended by over 80 Leaders and the Minister for Internal Affairs, joint strategies for collective engagement on different issues affecting Civil Society Operating Environment were agreed upon. Besides the NGO Operating environment, other issues such as the National Identity Card project, and oil and natural resources management were tackled as areas of synergy between government NGOs. We were also able to popularize the value and contribution of NGOs through the 2015 UNNGOF calendar and distributed 5,000 copies across the country. The NGO Bill 2015 We built consensus across the sector on the desired NGO law through the 5 consultative meetings held with NGO Leaders on the NGO Bill These were attended by an average of 50 Leaders for each, and a total of 250 NGO Leaders. This collective position for NGOs on the NGO Bill 2015 was submitted to Parliament as the CSO Position on the bill. A progressive committee report was developed, taking into consideration most of the views of the NGOs. NGOs and UNNGOF in particular gained experience in advocacy with Parliament and built capacity to coordinate such work. Huge numbers of the ordinary Citizenry were sensitized on different aspects of NGO legislation. U N N G O F A N N U A L R E P O R T

19 U N N G O F A N N U A L R E P O R T In partnership with the press, in form of talk shows, live debates and telecasts of our events, and through attending some of our events, we mounted pressure on Parliament and Government to ensure a progressive law, and also built strong relations with the media. Held 30 TV and radio Talk shows and two press conferences on the NGO Bill 2015, reached a total of about 3,200,000 Ugandans. We mobilized MPs, NGO Leaders, Development Partners and the media to push for the passing of a progressive NGO law, through messages and attendance of the proceedings on the bill in the Parliamentary gallery. While there are still some gaps in the legal framework for NGOs, we believe that the new NGO Bill does away with most of the problematic clauses, and that the new law provides a foundation for discussion of a better legal framework. Post NGO Bill Work; review meeting with 30 National NGOs Leaders, online discussions with over 100 NGO Networks, at least 6 meetings with donors, including with the Donor working group on Democracy and Human Rights Civil Society Sustainability Index and Enabling Environment Index We developed and disseminated the 2014 Civil Society Sustainability Index report for Uganda. The CSO sustainability Index and Enabling Environment Index processes have provided an avenue to keep CSO operating environment issues for Uganda on the global agenda, as the reports are disseminated globally. The CSO Sustainability Index has also given UNNGOF sufficient experience that will be used in the coming year to produce a much more Ugandaspecific Annual State of Civil Society Report. Following the recent spate of break-ins and arrests of activists, UNNGOF instigated a legal response strategy and security training for NGOs in 2015 as part of the tool kit for a reporting system on the operating environment. This legal response strategy has led to increased confidence of NGO staff, and leaders as well as other civic activists, when engaging in activism in exercise of their freedom to associate. The security trainings enabled NGO staff become more conscious about their safety as well as kickstart the process of developing security plans for their organizations. There has been noticeable reduction in the number of reported cases of NGO break-ins, pointing to a possible improvement in security measures in place, a sign of the impact of the security trainings. 20 NGOs developed security plans for their operations. Our work on mapping security incidents has enabled NGOs become more security conscious; more organizations are factoring in the aspect of security in their planning, including relocation to safer environments. Civic Space 2nd Citizens Day, Luwero #LightTheWayUg We successfully convened the 2nd Citizens Day in Luwero on 24th September 2015 on the theme, Lighting the Way to Ending Poverty, after the 19

20 attendance. We made over two million impressions on social media, with the hash tag #CSOFair2015, trending as far as South Africa. With our partners, we launched the Civil Society Public Private Sector Forum and hosted the 5th QuAm Awards ceremony. maiden 2014 edition in Lugazi. Citizens days are opportunities for Ugandans to celebrate their citizenship and appreciate their diversity and the Citizen Day initiative is one we started for citizens to have a better sense of national identity and diversity. In this edition, over 3000 citizens in their diversity of opinion leaders, political leaders and aspirants, religious, civil society and interest groups, school pupils and students, as well as the business sector inter alia, appreciated their diversity and shared their commitment to attain the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It coincided with the Global Citizen s Day of Action and specifically in the Ugandan context, was intended to mobilize and rally citizens to demand for urgent action on Poverty, Inequality and Climate change as global leaders adopted the Sustainable Development Goals later that month. 5th National CSO Fair #CSOFair2015 Under the theme, Leaving No One behind, Uganda s Place in the Next Global Development Agenda, we convened the 5th Edition of the National Civil; Society Fair on the 25th and 26th of June 2015, at Hotel Africana, Kampala. 204 exhibitors displayed the diversity and richness in content of civil society work at the People s space. With over 20 sessions and over 5000 visitors over the course of the two days, in hundreds and visitors to the stalls in thousands, this edition of the Fair provided an opportunity to increase citizen awareness and participation in the Post 2015 agenda and enhance civil society collective engagements in advancing the Post 2015 Development agenda in Uganda. Importantly, a big number of school pupils and students were in Free & Fair Elections Campaign Feedback Meetings We reached about 2000 Citizens across the country through 10 Free and Fair Elections Feedback meetings. The Compact for Free and Fair Elections was disseminated, and the Making of Uganda presentation, one designed to foster unity by demonstrating that we are all migrants to Uganda, was shared again with participants. The innovation with the work on elections was instrumental in making it clear that we are all Ugandans and at some point in history we migrated into the country and therefore it is our collective and U N N G O F A N N U A L R E P O R T

21 U N N G O F A N N U A L R E P O R T individual responsibility to make it a better country. This work also impacted the whole constitutional reform process, to the extent that while major electoral reforms were not made, Parliament considered the proposals through the FFE compact as important, leaving room for re-negotiation in the post 2016 election epoch. The Citizens Charter Through our work with partners, we developed the Citizens Charter and in 2015, 20,000 copies were printed and disseminated in different spaces, including at the 5th National Civil Society Fair, the Neighbourhood Assemblies and Grand Citizen debates. The Citizen charter was adopted as a key IEC material for the Civic Education Coalition and appreciated as well as adopted by thousands of Citizens that were reached. Engagements such as the Campaign for Free and Fair Elections have mobilized Ugandans to appreciate alternative views on electoral democracy as well as also have space for voicing out their own views on the future of Uganda. forward citizen issues on Parliament, was launched and disseminated through print radio and television talk shows. The Parliament Watch provided empirical data for Citizens to critically discuss the performance of Parliament as an institution for the first time in Uganda s history. Socio-Political Governance Poll UNNGOF conducted a social, political and governance opinion poll to get a reading into citizens perceptions on governance as well as the 2016 elections. The opinion poll report was launched at a live event on NTV, during their Thursday On the Spot talk Show. Governance Monitoring NRM Audit Review Processes We commissioned a comprehensive review of the Citizens Manifesto against the NRM Manifesto and other leadership commitments. The NRM Audit exercise has continued to avail a concrete and scientific tool for citizens to hold the NRM government Accountable. It has also provided information relevant for the NRM to critically review its performance. All these actions were aimed at cultivating an informed and civically competent citizenry that relates to leaders from the elective positions of power and empowerment in cycle. Parliament Audit and Parliament Watch Bulletin The 2015 mid-term Audit of Parliament, an intervention started in 2013 and designed to take Opinion polls have continued to provide empirical data that different stakeholders including donors, researchers, civil society and the media could use to make informed analysis as well as choices on different governance aspects and hence our continued use of them. Candidates Debates The spaces provided by our work under the Citizens Manifesto provided an avenue for UNNGOF to keep the citizenry engaged on critical governance and development issues. They have as well inspired citizen activism. In 2015, working with our partners, we conducted 45 candidates debates across the country. About 3,600 Citizens, including political aspirants, opinion leaders, civil society, the business sector, academia, 21

22 media, religious leaders and ordinary citizens participating in 14 regional and interest group launch events, to discuss citizen aspirations for 2016 and beyond. Scenario Building towards the Uganda 2016 General Elections The Road to 2016 Serving as a space for Citizens to reflect on the level of preparedness by the country for the 2016 elections, a Road to 2016 High Level Scenario Building Session and a Public Dialogue were held. The scenario building session was organized on 18th September 2015 at Protea Hotel for Ugandan experts and intellectuals to analyse and predict the possible outcomes and likely scenarios in the run up to, during and after, the 2016 general elections. The Public Dialogue was convened at Makerere University Main Hall on Friday 23rd October 2015, bringing together 500 Citizens including youth, Civil Society, academia, development partners and the media. The dialogue informed four other such dialogues that were held in Eastern Uganda, Central, Western and North, bringing together about 800 Citizens. Constituency Parliaments Constituency Parliaments serve as spaces for Citizens to engage with their Members of Parliament as well as critically review the performance of Parliament. Working with our partners across the region, we convened 30 Constituency Parliaments, with a total of 4,500 Citizens discussing the performance of Parliament as an institution. Campaigns The use of citizen centred campaigns has seen the effective mobilization of the entire Civil Society sector to collectively develop joint and coherent messages. This has not only strengthened solidarity within the sector but also created avenues for synergy and greater impact. In the end, more respect has been realized by the sector, from Ugandans in their diversity and the political leadership. 300,000 Ugandans reached directly and an estimated 6,000,000 Ugandans through Print, Radio, and TV. Black Monday Campaign UNNGOF continued coordinating the Black Monday Campaign against corruption for the third year running with a total of 34 editions, and distribution at an average of 20,000 copies per month saw the dissemination of 11 editions centered on no vote buying and selling. Campaign publications have been instrumental in taking relevant information to citizens while helping them to make informed choices and proactively participate in political and governance processes. 50,000 copies of the BMM newsletter printed and disseminated 15,000 copies of the 2015 CSO New year s Message and over 50,000 copies of the Free and Fair Elections compact produced and shared. U N N G O F A N N U A L R E P O R T

23 U N N G O F A N N U A L R E P O R T Account Before You Promise Campaign Launch This campaign was launched on June 17th 2015 at Hotel Africana and aired to over 3,000,000 viewers live on NTV. It brought together a total of 1600 citizens and was intended to mobilize citizens across the country to interrogate and obtain clarity on the extent to which their leaders had achieved the electoral promises as a basis for renewal or termination of their mandate This campaign enhanced leadership responsiveness and citizen pro-activeness as strong foundations for a newly negotiated social contract. Citizens Manifesto Through a robust countrywide consultative process, the National Citizens Manifesto was developed. The national launch was held at Hotel Africana on 9th November It brought together close to 1000 citizens from all walks of life, and the Citizens Manifesto was launched by citizen Manifesto Ambassadors led by Fr. Paschal Kabura. 50,000 copies of this were produced and disseminated in regional and national launch events, as well as other strategic spaces. In addition to the National, 14 regional Manifestos and 13 interest group Manifestos were developed, making a total of 28 Manifestos. Popular versions of the National Citizens Manifesto have been developed. These are in the forms of; a video trailer, a poster, a booklet with cartoon illustrations, and a 2016 calendar with cartoon illustrations. As part of the process to review the Citizens manifesto and develop the Citizens Manifesto , Focus Group Discussions were held in 130 Villages, and reached at least 6,500 Citizens to make input to their respective regional and interest group Manifestos. Regional and interest 23

24 group Manifesto validation meetings were held for 14 regions and eight regional Manifestos. Two National write-shops were convened for the Citizens Manifesto core group to synthesize the different Manifestos into the National citizens Manifesto. A Citizens Manifesto symposium was held for all stakeholders, including Citizens Manifesto regional partners from all 14 regions and 35 districts as well as interest groups to validate and agree on the National Citizens Manifesto. 14 Regional and interest group launch events have since been convened for the Citizens Manifesto. At these events, both the national and respective regional and interest group Manifestos are launched. The events have been presided over by CM Ambassadors, and in some cases the Resident District Commissioners. The Citizens Manifesto has not only inspired different interest groups to generate their own Manifestos, leading to a jump to 28 Manifestos in 2016 compared to 19 in 2011, but other sectors such as media have also been inspired to run series about Citizens demands. For instance New Vision conducted a People s Manifesto series, while NTV and Monitor have also been running programs about citizen expectations in This is a clear sign of how different entities have been impacted by the CM process. Learning and Fellowship A Citizens Manifesto Ambassadors reflection was convened. The session was attended by 70 Citizen Manifesto Ambassadors and Citizens Manifesto Partners, and was used to; share experiences in the Free and Fair Elections Campaign, the Black Monday Campaign, and the Citizens Manifesto process. There was agreement on what the Ambassadors would collectively achieve. It was also clear that a lot of progress had been made by the Ambassadors in their work. For instance, while some of them were supporting pro- democracy efforts such as the Democratic Alliance, there were those that had invested time in civic education, and even developed civic education materials. The Minzani booklet developed by the Isaazi group of Rwenzori region under the stewardship of the Citizen Manifesto Ambassador, Fr. Paschal Kabura is one of such materials. U N N G O F A N N U A L R E P O R T

25 U N N G O F A N N U A L R E P O R T POLICY AND ADVOCACY The Policy and Advocacy component effectively coordinates policy engagements by NGOs, on policy issues of interest to NGOs and relevant to Uganda s development, as well as for long-term perspective planning. THE 5 th NATIONAL ANTI- CORRUPTION CONVENTION 7 th December 2015 Hotel Africana A. Preamble My Vote is Priceless... Say No to Vote Buying and Selling The Convention was also graced with the launch of the East Africa Bribery Index(EABI) and I PAID A BRIBE website The fifth National Anti-Corruption Convention was held on spearheaded by Transparency International and Action Aid 7 th December 2015 at Hotel Africana, Kampala, Uganda, and International Uganda respectively. The EABI explores the attracted over 900 citizens from Government, Non Governmental prevalence of bribery in various sectors as well as the value that Organizations, Academia, Faith Based Organizations, Youth, citizens place on the different services they seek in partnership Development Partners, Government Agencies, Members of with other civil society organizations. The I PAID ABRIBE Parliament and Private Sector. The event was anchored on website is a platform that will act as a repository for evidence the theme My Vote is Priceless Say No to Vote Buying and on corruption with ability to regularly undertake analysis of Selling to rally all citizens to stand firm against all forms of which sectors are most corrupt and monitor the corruption electoral corruption. economy in Uganda. Additionally, participants were able to collectively discuss and The Chief Guest was Hon. Justice Stephen Kavuma, Uganda s develop strategies to curb all forms of corruption specifically Deputy Chief Justice. The key note address was delivered electoral corruption in the 2016 general elections and beyond. by Mr. Paul Banoba - Senior Regional Program Coordinator This was done in four side events spear headed by the Anti- East and Horn of Africa-Transparency International. Other Corruption Coalition Uganda(ACCU), Transparency International, speakers included the Director Criminal Investigation and Civil Society Budget Advocacy Group(CSBAG), Alliance for Intelligence Department - Ms. Grace Akullo, Director Religious Election Campaign Financing and Monitoring(ACFIM) and Affairs Directorate of Ethics and Integrity - Rev. Aaron Uganda Youth Network. Mwesige, representatives from other government institutions, parliamentarians, development partners and Transparency Through Key Messages from the Plenary and parallel Sessions International Regional Directors. this 5 th National Anti-Corruption Convention therefore resolved to: 1. Strengthen the capacities of national and regional anti-corruption agencies to effectively and expeditiously detect, investigate, and prosecute voter bribery related offences; 2. Strongly advocate for independent legislation on campaign financing. In addition the sections in the Parliamentary Elections Act 2005 (as amended) and Presidential Elections act 2005 (as amended) on vote buying should toughened to include a ban from public office for five years from date of conviction; Monitoring the NDP UNNGOF s representation of CSOs in engagement with the National Development ensures continued contribution of CSOs to agenda setting, formulation processes and enhanced oversight role played by civil society organizations. As a result of our monitoring activities of the NDP, there has been increased participation of CSOs in policy formulation, implementation and monitoring leading to citizen responsive policies like in the case of prioritization of agriculture. We carried out 1 Participatory Evaluation of NDPI in 6 districts and 12 villages. The findings of our evaluations will inform the NDP II baseline survey that will be conducted in due course. We also developed a Comprehensive CSO Commentary on the draft NDPII developed by 10 CSOs and submitted to NPA. NDPII has accorded greater recognition for CSO participation such as the Private Sector-CSO NDP Review Forum that s intended to bring the private sector and CSOs on an annual basis to monitor the implementation of the NDP II. Following our 2014 National Citizen Survey on Vision 2040 to provide for a benchmark of Uganda s Vision and to identify priorities for NDPII, we carried out one National and four regional launches of the Citizen s Survey on Vision 2040 with 80 national 25

26 and 490 regional participants. We also printed and disseminated 1000 copies of the Citizen s Survey on Vision The 2014 Citizen s Survey on Vision 2040 was the first ever monitoring of Uganda s Vision 2040 and sets a bench mark for subsequent tracking. Through the regional launches, we saw greater appreciation and ownership as citizens defined their contribution to the realization of Vision UNNGOF studies have continued to influence several other processes within government. We received several media requests to comment on topical issues related to our work. We applaud NGO Forum for consistently engaging in the formulation of the NDPII. Dr. Abel Rwendeire, Deputy Chairperson NPA Convened 4 Core Technical Committee Meetings on NDPII, 4 NPA Expanded Board Meetings and 1 consultative meeting on the draft NDPII with 10 CSOs. Regional and International Processes The APRM Process We continued to engage with the African Peer Review Mechanism processes for Uganda; our engagements have not only profiled the APRM process in Uganda but also provided an opportunity for deeper reflection on governance processes in the region. We also participated in the National APRM Governing Council as a representative CSOs. Regional and International Engagements UNNGOF participated and engaged in several regional and international fora on various topical and policy issues. Through these processes we have had an opportunity to learn and engage in policy processes that impact our work and the global agenda, such as our contribution to making development cooperation more citizen centred and responsive to local context. Some of these engagements included: The NPA publically appreciated our work on the National Development Plan and continues to work with us through the Expanded Board of NPA to solicit civil society views on the various papers they present to the Presidential Economic Policy Roundtables. We have also continued to share our work with the Office of the Prime Minister that uses it in the development of the Government Performance Report. U N N G O F A N N U A L R E P O R T

27 U N N G O F A N N U A L R E P O R T Madibo Makalou (Office of the President Mali) Cornelius Hacking (Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs) Richard Ssewakiryanga (Uganda National NGO Forum) United Nations Development Cooperation Forum Uganda High Level Symposium on 4th-6th November 2015 CPDE Working Group Meeting on Enabling Environment in Stockholm, 15th-16th October 2015 UN Summit on adoption of SDGs in Washington DC, 24th-25th September 2015 GPDEC Africa Regional Monitoring Workshop in Addis Ababa, 16th-17th September 2015 Training of Trainers on SDGs for the National Youth Organizations in Zimbabwe7th-8th September rd International Conference on Financing for Development in Addis Ababa 13th-14th July 2015 CPDE Global Council Meeting in Brussels, 1st-2nd June 2015 Global Partnership for Social Accountability Global Partners Forum in Washington DC 11th- 13th May United Nations Development Cooperation Forum in Korea 8th-10th April 2015 GPDEC Committee Meetings in Brussels on 21st-22nd January 2015 and CPDE coordination meetings. 27

28 Civil Society Shaping the Post 2015 Development Agenda Launch of #Action2015 Uganda Campaign UNNGOF continued to mobilize citizens and their organizations to actively engage in the Post 2015 development agenda through the Action 2015 global campaign. On15th January 2015, we coordinated CSOs to join the rest of the world to launch global campaign on the theme Leave No One Behind. The launch was preceded by a public march with over 200 participants including government officials, CSOs representatives, Members of Parliament, school children, women groups, farmers groups, persons with disabilities. Following the launch of #Action2015, monthly actions were organized to urge leaders to address poverty, inequality and climate change. These include the Youth Dialogue on Post 2015; Tree planting; press conferences and Finance our Future signing on commitment banner events. A regional consultation was held in Lira on 19th- 20th January 2015 to deepen engagement with the Sustainable Development Goals at the sub-national level. 70 participants, including Local Government Officials, Community Based Organizations, Women Groups, Business Community, Cultural leaders and Youth Groups, committed to mainstream and budget for the SDGs in their local finance mechanisms. We also convened a parallel session on Financing the NDP II and Sustainable Development Goals in partnership with the Civil Society Budget Advocacy Group. The meeting provided space to concretize financing options for the second National Development Plan as the vehicle through for the implementationof SDGs aspirations by the different MDAs. With UNDP Uganda, we organized orientation training for the media on the SDGs on 15th September 2015, at Piato Restaurant Kampala. This event was attended by 54 media practitioners drawn from different media houses. With such interactions with the media, we hope that more citizens will be reached out to and encouraged to play their part in achieving the SDGs. UNNGOF will continue with the localization campaign across the country to ensure that SDGs are domesticated. These engagements increased the interest of citizens and their organizations in the post 2015 development agenda processes. The 5th National CSO Fair, which attracted over 5000 citizens and their organizations, was anchored on the Post 2015 Development Agenda. The SDGs will not primarily be driven by governments but by partnerships between governments, Civil Society and private Sector. Civil Society will play a pivotal role in monitoring the implementation of the SDGs. U N N G O F A N N U A L R E P O R T

29 U N N G O F A N N U A L R E P O R T Platforms Platforms have been used to develop and promote collective positions and policy alternatives that reflect the diversity of CSO experiences and perspectives. EAC Integration UNNGOF is the coordinating agency and host of the East African Civil Society Forum Uganda Chapter (EACSOF). We engaged in popularization of the EAC integration process. The CSO- EAC Platform regularly shared updates on the integration process highlighting topic issues such as the adoption of harmonized money transfer guidelines in Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda to boost trade in the region; Collaborations between EAC secretariat and East Africa Association on Anti- Corruption to combat corruption in the region; EAC electronic transaction bill to pave way for the business and corporate world to transact business using digital means; and IMF support to EAC to harmonize tax procedures as part of the ongoing integration programmes inter alia. National Consultation on the SG Forum In partnership with the East Africa Civil Society Organization s Forum (EACSOF), we held a National Consultation under the theme Good Governance and Constitutionalism in the East African Community on 13th August 2015 at Royal Suites, Bugolobi. 52 participants, including representatives from MEACA, Local Government Finance Commission, academia and CSOs attended. It provided an opportunity for civil society leaders at country level to share experiences and good practice geared towards promoting good governance and constitutionalism, and to inform the development of policies and Programmes in the region. A CSO statement was developed and presented at the 4th EAC Secretary General s Forum in Dar es salaam on 3rd- 4th March The EAC-CSO platform has also provided an avenue to keep issues of EAC regional integration on the collective CSO advocacy agenda. Key Recommendations from the National Consultation: EALA to expeditiously enact the EAC good governance protocol Review all NGO and CSO legislations in EAC to address the shrinking civic space Embrace universal health coverage in EAC Review and increase funding to local governments as the centres of service delivery Restore presidential terms limits in some of the EAC partner states Social Accountability Platform UNNGOF capitalised on sharing and providing information to citizens, members and development partners, to inform their work and engagements on social accountability. This online knowledge platform allowed interested citizens, experts and CSOs to share and generate knowledge, thus improving the effectiveness of social accountability projects in Uganda. We also held four Regional Social Accountability Local Learning events under the theme Creating linkages between Local National and National Accountability platforms for effective advocacy. These meetings brought together over 200 representatives, including District Networks and their membership, Political leaders, Local Government officials, media groups and the general citizenry.the major objective of the engagements was to strengthen and enhance the capacity of Civil Society Organizations engaged in social accountability work for improved monitoring, advocacy and ultimately better service delivery and good governance in Uganda. 29

30 CSOs collectively agreed on strategies to tackle gaps in their social accountability work such as need for synergy and collaboration building, capacity building and adequate research among others The CSO Parliament Interface UNNNGOF continued to mobilize CSOs to engage on the Retirement Benefits Sector Liberalization Bill to ensure the passing of a citizen centered bill and a position paper was developed. A validation meeting was held on 14th January 2015 to review the CSO Position Paper on the Retirement Benefits Sector Liberalization Bill.The position paper was also presented to the Parliamentary Committee on Finance and Economic Development for consideration. Some of the salient proposals in the report include; the need to amend the NSSF Act, Mandatory and voluntary contributions should be regulated by different laws, Workers should be given the freedom to choose whether they want to take their benefits in a lump sum or via an annuity and to ensure that workers benefits are not eroded. In partnership with Uganda Joint Christian Council, and with support from National Democratic Institute, we organized a CSO-Religious Leaders meeting on the Retirement Benefits Sector Liberalization Bill on 26th February 2015 at Esella Country Resort. The meeting accorded an opportunity to reflect and devise strategies to engage with the Bill. There was renewed commitment from the religious leaders to sensitize citizens on the pension sector reforms and other policy processes through the different religious structures. We also organized a CSO Parliament Interface Partners meeting on February 2015 at Hotel Africana to provide a platform for partners to understand the key issues of engagement with Parliament, and benefit from shared success stories as well as challenges. Attended by 40 participants, the meeting saw presentations on key parliamentary developments in 2014, plans for 2015 and experiences of CSOs engagement with Parliament. The meeting also set priorities for CSO engagement with Parliament for Priorities: The Retirement Benefits Sector Liberalization Bill, Anti- Corruption Amendment Bill; the Budget and Constitutional Amendments; and the Marriage and Divorce Bill. U N N G O F A N N U A L R E P O R T

31 U N N G O F A N N U A L R E P O R T Aid and Development Effectiveness CSO Pan African Preparatory Meeting for the 3rd Financing for Development Conference UNNGOF, in partnership with Reality of Aid Africa, convened a Pan African CSO Preparatory meeting on 7th-8th July in Entebbe, Uganda. The conference brought together over 70 CSO representatives from 25 African countries, academia and government representatives to reflect on the key themes for the FFD3 meeting including; domestic resource mobilization, Foreign Direct Investment and International Private Flows, International Trade, Debt and Debt Sustainability and systematic issues. The conference was opened by Hon. Caroline Okao- Minister of State for Microfinance, representing the Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development. Hon. Henry Banyenzaki, Minister of State for Planning-Office of the President, Board members of the National Planning Authority and representatives from NEPAD also attended. A communiqué was developed from the conference and shared widely online, and at the 3rd United Nations Conference on Financing for Development held in Addis Ababa on 13th-14th July 2015 and at other fora for development cooperation. A communiqué was developed from the conference and shared widely online, and at the 3rd United Nations Conference on Financing for Development held in Addis Ababa on 13th-14th July 2015 and at other fora for development cooperation. Though the Addis Abba Action Agenda was a setback for developing countries in their quest for adequate means of implementation to realize national development plans and SDGs, Civil society globally was recognized as a significant actor in providing technical knowledge on the issues under negotiation and raising awareness on the process. Key recommendations from the conference; need for country leadership in resource mobilization and allocation, need for an inclusive inter-governmental tax body, Popularize and strengthen a national platform to monitor the implementation of Addis Ababa Accord on the Financing for Development Agenda, ensure transparency and accountability in the use of public resources Increase participation of CSOs in the CPDE working groups. PRDP In partnership with Action Aid International Uganda, we organized a consultative PRDP review meeting on 8th- 9th April 2015, at Eureka Palace Hotel Ntinda, to solicit CSO input on the PRDP III design. Attended by 68 participants, the meeting emphasized the need to enhance and encourage proactive participation and involvement of CSOs in monitoring service delivery within the PRDP framework,at both local and national levels. We also held a one day National CSO consultative workshop in partnership with Saferworld Uganda, to review PRDPII and discuss options for PRDPIII. The workshop took place on 26th February 2015 at Esella Country Resort and was attended by over 50 participants, including CSO representatives from PRDP II implementing regions, religious leaders, district leaders and members of the Advisory Consortium on Conflict Sensitivity (ACCS). In the same meeting, participants shared their experiences in regard to the implementation of the PRDPII and their anticipated views for PRDPIII. Key CSO Issues on PRDP Refinement of PRDPIII to areas worst hit by the LRA war, community involvement in implementation of PRDP III, implementation of the Juba Peace Agreement components I and II- Accountability and Reconciliation. 31

32 We participated in the 4th PMC meeting of PRDP II held on 8th May 2015 at the Office of the President Conference Hall. The 4th PMC deliberated on the evaluation report of PRDP II and the new design document of PRDP III. UNNGOF on behalf of other CSOs presented a position paper on key proposals for PRDPIII. Our engagement in this process has ensured that CSO views and perspectives are integrated in the final PRDP III document. CSO PRDPIII Issues: Need for Psychosocial support, Establish a National Reconciliation and Peace Commission, Need for decisive action on theft of public resources among others. 5th Anti- Corruption Convention To commemorate the International Anti-Corruption Week, Civil Society organizations in Uganda held the 5th National Anti-Corruption Convention on 7th December 2015 at Hotel Africana. The theme was My Vote is priceless Say No to Vote Buying and Selling and rallied all citizens to stand firm against all forms of electoral corruption in the 2016 general elections and beyond. The event attracted over 900 citizens including women groups, youth, students, political parties, and development partners, Faith Based Organizations, Members of Parliament, representatives from Ministries, Departments and Agencies, regional delegates and several Civil Society Organizations. The convention raised momentum among citizens against voter bribery and the need for concerted efforts between government and civil society to curb the vice so as to safeguard the integrity of the electoral process. The Chief Guest was Hon. Justice Stephen Kavuma, the Deputy Chief Justice of Uganda and the key note address which was delivered by Mr. Paul Banoba- Senior Regional Program Coordinator East and Horn of Africa-Transparency International. Key resolutions from the Convention: the need to strengthen capacities of anti-corruption agencies to investigate and prosecute voter bribery related offences; Advocate for independent legislation on campaign financing; Enhance civic education initiatives to provide information and empower citizenry play an active role in electoral processes through campaigns like TOPOWA; Openly denounce voter bribery; sustain, maintain and popularize the Black Monday Movement and; Introduce anti-corruption initiatives at institutional level such as codes of conduct and regular and anti-corruption training for public officers among others. Representation of CSOs in Government Policy Spaces UNNGOF continued to represent CSOs in strategic spaces to articulate citizens concerns in development processes. In 2015, UNNGOF engaged in: Three Steering Committee Meetings on Expanding Social Protection; One National Monitoring and Evaluation Technical Working Group; One Technical Working Group Meeting on Agricultural Technical and Agri-business Advisory Services Project; and One Meeting of the Technical Implementation Coordination Committee, OPM U N N G O F A N N U A L R E P O R T

33 U N N G O F A N N U A L R E P O R T COMMUNICATION AND KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT We strive for a dynamic UNNGOF identity and presence across Uganda, East Africa and globally and we achieve this by creatively communicating and documenting our experiences and learning as well as brokering knowledge imaginatively. Communication The Uganda National NGO Directory We continued to provide NGOs in the sector avenues for growth and profiling. The number of NGOs profiled grew to 390 up from 337 in Visitors to the site also grew from 24,601 in 2014 to 86,388 and total page hits were witnessed at 2,211,306 from a mere 584, profiles, 86,388 visitors, 2,211,306 page hits. 33

34 UNNGOF Website Our website allowed for recognition of our brand and deference in the international arena, with our online resources/publications being used beyond just Uganda saw the upload of 104 resources to our website, these in form of staff articles, short event stories, reports and statements from our work. newsletter also inadvertently creates traffic to our website since it is directly generated from our online content. Visitors directly visit any other pages on our website. Subscription grew to 2,394 up from 1,600 Our page hits also increased to 2,092,484 from 1,028,220; Visitors to the site doubled to 88,753 up from 48,338 in The Electronic Newsletter Platform News The UNNGOF online newslettercontinues to be a convenient avenue for sharing information on our work with many of our partners and the sector and beyond. We edited this monthly newsletter in name, form, distribution scope to better suit our audiences. It is now called Platform News, opens directly in the and negates the hustle of having to open another document to view stories. The newsletter, now reaches a total of 2,394 subscribers, up from the 1600 in The UNNGOF Wikipedia Page Uganda National NGO Forum The online Wikipedia is a free encyclopaedia, written collaboratively by the people who use it. It is a special type of website, called a wiki, designed to make collaboration easy saw an online profile of UNNGOF go up on Wikipedia. This page describes who we are and what we do and furthers our brand and identity. Many people are constantly improving Wikipedia, making thousands U N N G O F A N N U A L R E P O R T

35 U N N G O F A N N U A L R E P O R T of changes per hour and now our members may be able to add to our page with their own experiences and even work done with us. Knowledge Brokerage Through creatively packaged inspirational talks, staff participation in and organizational membership to international fora, as well as staff and EDs articles and presentations, we have participated in 168 brokerage innovations, online, nationally and internationally. Policy & Advocacy: 4 learning events, 200 participants; Citizen Mobilization: 5 NGO leaders meetings & 1 security training, 200 participants; Capacity Development: 8 learning events, 5500 participants; 83 CSOs trained; training for 40 NGO staff, 1 TOT for 70 participants on Making of Uganda Through the three component areas, Policy & Advocacy, Citizen Mobilization, and Capacity development, we have managed to train a huge resource of CSOs. Through a total of 17 events, including learning events, training of trainers (TOT), security trainings and NGO leaders meetings, a total of 6,093 CSOs have been directly trained. This ensures the continuance of learning since the numbers trained then go on to train others in their field, making for a continued cycle of learning and growth. The print and dissemination of program publications profiling our different fields of engagement allowed for a varied and diverse sharing of knowledge, both at regional and national levels. It also allowed for recognition of our work internationally. We recognize that just a single copy can serve more than just one individual and as a result furthers the sharing of our work. Media Relations 2015 saw the extension of our own reach through the viewership and listenership of media houses we engaged with on our work. Cognizant of their huge audiences and unique reach, we were able to forge and maintain partnerships and cordial working relationships with media houses like NTV, NBS television, WBS television, Monitor Newspaper, New Vision and Observer newspapers, plus several English and vernacular radio stations, both online and not. Our brand recognition has soared and we are identified as leaders in our field, often being asked to make comment by these media houses, on policy and governance issues prevalent in the country. Parliament also sources submissions from civil society through UNNGOF on bills and issues under debate. Total publications for 3 program areas were 271,000; Annual reports and videos 2000 copies; Annual calendar 3000 copies. 35

36 With a total of 85 radio and television appearances (live broadcasts, adverts, talk shows) and 112 appearances in electronic and print media, we were able to reach millions of citizens with our work in the shortest time possible. 4 Facebook pages 7,187 likes 85 radio and TV appearances, 112 appearances in electronic media Interactive Online Presence & Social Media Platforms With our social media platforms, we continued to cultivate a different, non-traditional and growing audience than our usual publics. We have effectively adapted to popular trends to remain relevant and improved our online presence, extending our influence and information sharing. We have grown a huge online audience across physical borders. For all our social media accounts combined, UNNGOF, Black Monday, SPAN Uganda and Ugandaat50, we have registered tremendous growth with combined numbers at 9,476 followers on twitter, 7,187 Facebook followers, and 181,503 views on our YouTube channel. We also continued to heavily utilise twitter and employ the use of hash tags, especially for our flagship events. Five main hash tags were used in 2015; #Action2015Ug, #2011Promises, #UgandaDecides, #LightTheWayUg and #ACC2015. A total of 31,224,247 online impressions were made from these engagements. 5 hash tags 31,224,247 impressions, 4 twitter accounts 9,476 followers, Clear and Distinct UNNGOF Identity We continue to build and have sustained our corporate image, attracting more support, funding, attention and trust in our brand, as well as set standards/best practices for other NGOs in our field. Being the platform that we are, we continue to work through collective engagements and these include our annual flagship events. We have become known for and built a name with these events that cover all components; AGM, National CSO Fair, and the Anti Corruption Convention. These events are easily identified with and the public has come to associate them with us and our work. Through them we engaged 5,300 participants and over 300 organizations in total for just the three events. With the ever growing numbers reached in our flagship events and the new and different citizens groups targeted, we are able to ascertain our brand value and recognition by the public. This affirms our relevance in our field of work and in delivering our core mandate. We also continued to cultivate a huge product range over the course of 2015 with which to popularize our brand and share our work and brand extensively across the country. U N N G O F A N N U A L R E P O R T

37 U N N G O F A N N U A L R E P O R T FINANCE AND CORPORATE SERVICES Finance and Corporate services provide cost-efficient support in a transparent manner, while fostering an institutional culture of optimal resource use that better enables UNNGOF to accomplish its objectives was a special year because it was the last year of the UNNGOF Strategic Plan It was therefore imperative that every effort be made in support of UNNGOF activities to deliver on the set plans of the organization. The emphasis on impact in line with our theory of change was important. Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Annual General Meeting As per the UNNGOF Constitution, the 13th Annual General Meeting was held on 19th March 2015 at Pope Paul VI Memorial Hotel with an attendance of 300 paid up members. In accordance with the duties and powers of the General Assembly, five new members were elected and others appointed to the UNNGOF Board. New Board Members 2015 Hon. Idah Mehangye Chairperson Mr. Richard Nuwamanya Treasurer Mr. Basil Tushabe Member Mr. John Baptist Male Mukasa Independent Member Ms. Hellen Akwii-Wangusa Independent Member 37

38 Two members were nominated to represent their organisations in place of the previous duty bearers: i) Ms. Caroline Akello Kotido District NGO Forum (replacing Ms. Esther Wasagali) ii) Ms. Doreen Achieng Uganda Women s Trust (replacing Ms. Pamela Mugisa) During the AGM, the UNNGOF Secretariat yet again presented a clean audit report to the Assembly and it was unanimously adopted. The Assembly also approved M/S Price & King Certified Public Accountants as the new organizational auditors. Board Meetings An induction on effective boards was held for the new Board. Facilitated by Dr. Winnie Kiryabwire, this interaction enabled the formation of 2 new committees: The Board also held three meetings which availed an opportunity to deliberate on various issues. Key among these meetings was the Board Staff interaction that was initiated by the Chairperson to strengthen Board-Secretariat relations for effective performance. Review of UNNGOF Policies Six policies were reviewed and approved and are now reference material for the organisation s day to day operations. i) Finance Policy ii) Human Resource Manual iii) Information and Communication Technology Policy iv) Grants Management Manual v) Procurement Manual i) Governance, Programmes and Policy ii) Audit and Risk U N N G O F A N N U A L R E P O R T

39 U N N G O F A N N U A L R E P O R T Finance Fundraising and Income To finance the 2015 Work Plan, we raised UGX 6,767,094,178/- from development partners such as Democratic Governance Facility, Ford Foundation, National Democratic Institute, United Nations Development Programme and Southern Africa Trust. Membership incomes amounted to UGX 18,254,139, representing 1% of the total income realized in Income and Expenditure Statement UNNGOF House Project Plans to build the UNNGOF House continued in Following the launch of the fundraising drive for this project in 2014, the 13th AGM agreed to increase Member Annual subscription fees, effective 2016, by 50%, which percentage would go to the project funds. Staff contributions to the UNNGOF House Project amounted to UGX 8,806,405/-. The Secretariat sourced a consultant to develop a viable and bankable business plan for the House project, with considerations to cost, location, potential partners and fundraising options. By the end of 2015, four meetings between the Consulting team and the Secretariat committee were held. 39

40 Financial Reporting In light of the incomes received, UNNGOF prepared and submitted quarterly reports to funding partners and the Board as a best practice. The resources received throughout the year enabled UNNGOF to execute its annual work plan. Some of the successes worth mentioning are: a) The #Action2015Ug Campaign b) 5th National CSO Fair c) 5th National Anti-Corruption Convention d) Account Before You Promise Campaign e) Citizens Manifesto f) NGO Bill 2015 Consultations g) Staff welfare Human Resource Staff Training In partnership with National Democratic Institute, UNNGOF staff received training in Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation for Advocacy Initiatives and Coalition Building. This training was held between 2nd and 4th September 2015 at Cassia Lodge, Buziga. It equipped program and management staff with skills in: Understanding and Measuring Advocacy Processes and Outcomes; Participatory Action Research and Advocacy: Issue Development, Coalition Building and Strategic Learning and Adaptation. U N N G O F A N N U A L R E P O R T

41 U N N G O F A N N U A L R E P O R T Staff News UNNGOF held the 2015 mid-year retreat for its staff in Kalangala District. This availed an opportunity for the organisation to reflect on the period January June and rejuvenate staff energies. During the retreat, UNNGOF visited some of its members on the islands; Kalangala District NGO Forum, Bufumira Island Development Association and Kalangala District Forum for People Living with HIV/AIDS Network. These visits provided first direct insight into the opportunities and challenges of the communities. As part of staff growth; Ms. Annet Nantongo Program Assistant, Communication and Knowledge Management took on a new role as a Communications Officer, Legumes Programme with the National Crops Resources & Research Institute and Ms. Eunice Musiime Team Leader, Policy and Civil Society Strengthening is now the Executive Director of Akina Mama Wa Afrika. In addition, employment contracts for a few staff were closed in December 2015 and these individuals have since moved on to pursue their different interests: a) Mr. Alfred Nuamanya Head of Programs b) Mr. James Male Kiwalabye Program Officer c) Mr. Festus Kahiigwa Program Officer d) Ms. Hilda Leah Asiimwe Administrative Assistant Our Partners Uganda 41

42 A Tribute to the Late Gen. Aronda Nyakairima As we celebrate our achievements for the year 2015, and take stock of lessons learnt, we also use this moment to remember a distinguished statesman and devout servant of the people of Uganda that made a significant contribution to the sector. The untimely death of Gen. Aronda Nyakairima under unclear circumstances, and at such a time when the country was preparing for some important events such as delivery of the National Identity Cards, the 2016 elections, and a new NGO law, left many Ugandans not only shocked but also with tons of sadness and sorrow. Despite the short time that he spent at the Ministry of Internal Affairs, it goes without saying that his unwavering leadership qualities left a great turn around on whatever he touched, and in this specific case, the improvements at the NGO Board. An accommodative Minister he was, a hard worker and disciplinarian. He will be remembered for embracing dialogue and initiating quarterly dialogue platforms between NGOs, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the NGO Board. He will also be remembered for supporting the revision of the Non Governmental Organizations law which has come out as a more acceptable piece of legislation for the sector. You will be missed dearly Gen. Aronda. May your star continue to shine wherever you are! U N N G O F A N N U A L R E P O R T

43 43 U N N G O F A N N U A L R E P O R T

44 Uganda National NGO Forum Plot 25, Muyenga Tank Hill Road, P.O. Box 4636, Kampala. Tel: , Website: U N N G O F A N N U A L R E P O R T