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Tag: UK in Uganda

  • UK pledges support for over a million people in East Africa

    UK pledges support for over a million people in East Africa

     

    • UK yesterday pledged vital life-saving assistance to East Africa to support vulnerable communities
    • New funding will support people facing the drastic impacts of drought, conflict, food insecurity and climate change in countries across East Africa including Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya
    • UK support will also provide humanitarian assistance to Sudan, to help address people’s urgent needs, one month after conflict broke out in the country

    The Minister for Development and Africa Andrew Mitchell announced humanitarian aid to East Africa at the UN Horn of Africa pledging conference on Wednesday 24 May.

    This vital assistance will enable the UN and NGO partners to continue the delivery of cash support; the delivery of water and sanitation services; and the supply of specialised health and nutrition treatment.

    As vulnerable countries are impacted by more frequent and more severe weather events, the UK is supporting them to adapt and build resilience for the long term. Funding will boost the climate resilience of communities and provide support for those displaced due to drought and extreme weather.

    The conference is co-hosted by the UK, Qatar, Italy, the US and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). In a video statement to the UN, Minister Andrew Mitchell will pledge £143 million for East Africa, £96m of which is going to the drought-impacted countries of the Horn.

    The Minister called for long-term solutions to break the cycle of crises afflicting the region, sustainable development, and adapting to climate change.

    The Minister for Development and Africa Andrew Mitchell said: 

    “The Horn of Africa faces one of the most devastating humanitarian crises in the world. The catastrophic drought over the last two years has brought unimaginable suffering and millions cannot access adequate water for drinking, cooking and cleaning.

    “As we’ve sadly seen in Sudan, conflict across East Africa is tearing apart communities, with women and girls bearing the brunt of the violence.

    “Our funding could not come at a more critical moment, and it is clear that we must act now, and do all we can to save lives.”

    Andrew Mitchell

    Across the Horn of Africa around 43 million people require humanitarian aid due to the devastating effects of conflict and climate change. The Horn of Africa has also experienced a drought of an unprecedented nature following five seasons of failed rains, with livelihood systems collapsing, millions displaced and hundreds of thousands of children forced to drop out of school.

    The new UK funding will address the crisis by supporting victims of gender-based violence, providing families with access to basic services, nutritional support, emergency food and cash assistance and sustainable water supplies. As part of the UK, US and Qatar’s pledges made today, all three countries have partnered to commit £8.4 million for drought response and resilience support in Somalia.

    The UK is also pursuing all avenues to secure safe humanitarian access in Sudan, and UK support pledged today includes £21.7 million to help address people’s urgent needs.

    The UK continues to call on the Sudanese Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces to uphold international humanitarian law and allow life-saving humanitarian access in Sudan.

  • Commissioning of a new building at Peas Onwards and Upwards School

    Commissioning of a new building at Peas Onwards and Upwards School

    Kampala, Uganda: The UK government and Promoting Equality in African Schools (PEAS) have commissioned a three storeyed building at PEAS Onwards and Upwards secondary school in Buloba. This is the first ever storeyed building in PEAS’ networks in Uganda and Zambia.

    Ground was broken for the structure by UK Minister Vicky Ford, during a visit to Uganda in January.The structure provides one science laboratory, office space and six classrooms creating additional learning spaces.

    The science laboratory will strengthen delivery of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects in the PEAS Network, challenging the belief that disadvantaged learners cannot excel in STEM subjects.

    The dormitory spaces will address barriers that girls and boys in less advantaged communities face to access secondary education and transition into post-secondary education.

    In the last 7 years the UK has provided funding to support PEAS in expanding access to affordable quality secondary education. PEAS’ network is now consists of 30 secondary schools in Uganda, educating over 14,000 students in 24 districts. In addition, PEAS provides direct support to 200 Government-run schools, helping them to improve the quality of their education and so strengthening the education system more broadly.

    Speaking about this, Deputy Development Director of the British High Commission Kampala, Matthew Little said: ‘The UK is committed to supporting more children in Uganda to receive a quality education. For individuals, it is a pathway to more options and freedom in later life; for Uganda, it is a pathway to increased growth and prosperity. These benefits should be available for everyone, and we are proud that our partnership with PEAS is giving opportunities to thousands of children who might otherwise be left out.’

    PEAS is a not-for-profit organisation, running schools in less advantaged communities with few or no affordable schools providing quality secondary education. With many secondary schools in Uganda significantly increasing fees post COVID-19 and some failing to re-open, PEAS have protected access to secondary education for learners that would have otherwise dropped out of school as a result of the increased fees; numbers of learners at PEAS schools are now higher than before COVID-19.

    Henry Senkasi, Country Director of PEAS added ‘This partnership has created 1,020 new learning spaces, 2 science laboratories and 660 boarding spaces in eight 8 PEAS schools across the PEAS Network in Uganda. We couldn’t be more thankful to the UK for this commitment and long standing partnership and the investment they are making to Ugandan students’ lives and indirectly to their future, ensuring they reach their full potential to become productive future citizens’.

    The schools supported by the UK include during this round of infrastructure support; PEAS Kuc Kigen in Lamwo; PEAS Toroma in Katakwi; PEAS Mukongoro and PEAS Nyero in Kumi; Onwards & Upwards in Wakiso, PEAS Kityerera in Mayuge; PEAS Kichwamba and PEAS Kazingo in Kabarole. 

    The launch brings together district education partners, local government, community representation/ parents and PEAS student representation.

  • Prudential Uganda Unveiled as Partner for Chevening programme

    Prudential Uganda Unveiled as Partner for Chevening programme

    Kampala: Prudential Uganda has been unveiled as a new partner for the United Kingdom (UK) government’s Chevening Scholarship Program in Uganda at a courtesy meeting between Her Excellency Kate Airey OBE, British High Commissioner to Uganda and Tetteh Ayitevie, Chief Executive Officer at Prudential Uganda.

    Beginning in the 2022/2023 academic year, Prudential will support Ugandan students aspiring to become future leaders by pursuing further studies in the UK in the areas of Finance, Insurance, Strategy, or Sustainability.

    L-R – Tetteh Ayiteve CEO Prudential Uganda, H.E. Kate Airey OBE British High Commissioner to Uganda and Jericho Muwanga the beneficiary scholar 2022 pose for a photo

    Mr. Ayitevie said: “Education is the cornerstone of success and plays a critical role in the betterment of societies. Supporting talented Ugandan students to achieve their full potential via the Chevening Scholarship is very gratifying and is closely aligned with our desire to support Uganda’s prosperity. Our vision is parallel to that of the Chevening Scholarship Program, which is why this partnership is important to us. Prudential’s purpose is to help people get the most out of life. As such, we are pleased to help engage and empower young professionals to pursue quality education and become experts in their chosen fields”.

    ​“Chevening is the British Government’s flagship scholarship program. Since its inception in 1983 it has supported close to 300 Ugandan students, many of whom have gone onto key decision making and leadership positions. I am delighted that Prudential, as a leading company in Uganda with a rich British history, has decided to come on board and support Ugandan talent. We have no doubt that the benefit of this partnership will quickly be realised’ said H.E. Kate Airey.

    The Prudential Chevening Scholarship for 2022 has been awarded to Mr Jericho Muwanga, who will pursue his Master’s Degree in Financial Technology at the University of Liverpool. Muwanga assessed each of the means Uganda is using to drive financial inclusion and found that Financial Technology (Fintech) is the fastest, most convenient, and most affordable, way to advance the financial inclusion agenda in the county.

    Muwanga said “In the short term, I want to collaborate with key stakeholders in Uganda’s Fintech space to solve challenges affecting reach, uptake, and affordability. I plan to leverage my knowledge, skills, network, exposure, and role as a financial services regulator to create a Fintech enabling environment, including regulation and policy, that encourages innovation and soundly manages the resulting disruption. In the long-term, I plan to establish a consultancy firm with training, investment, and advisory functions to advise the public, government, and corporations on Fintech matters, and to transfer Fintech skills”.

    In closing, Mr. Ayiteve remarked: “This partnership falls in line with our many initiatives to give back to the communities within which we operate to create sustainable societies that are geared to solve the world’s most pertinent issues.”

  • Sharing good practice between UK and Uganda: Parliamentary Scrutiny and Communications Workshop builds skills and confidence for UWOPA Members

    Sharing good practice between UK and Uganda: Parliamentary Scrutiny and Communications Workshop builds skills and confidence for UWOPA Members

    Members of the Parliament of Uganda are participating in a Parliamentary Scrutiny and Communications Workshop delivered jointly by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association UK (CPA UK), the Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD), UN Women, and the Uganda Women Parliamentary Association (UWOPA) in Entebbe on 24 and 25 July 2022.

    Building on past engagement, the workshop targeting women parliamentarians explores effective committee work and impactful external communications. Practical components familiarize participants with Westminster-style committee hearings and media interviews.

    With over half of women Members of the Parliament of Uganda elected for the first time in 2021, the workshop further presents an opportunity to review and assess current ways of working.

    Hon. Sarah Opendi UWOPA Chairperson, Philip Smith Development Director British High Commission Kampala, Hon Betty Amongi Minister of Gender, Labour and Social Development and Kate Osamor UK MP pose for a photo at the reception following the training the Ugandan MPs underwent

    The programme opened on 24 July with an address from UWOPA Chairperson Hon. Sarah Opendi, UN Women Country Representative Adekemi Ndieli, and CPA UK Delegation Leader Kate Osamor MP. The remainder of the workshop explores a range of topics related to parliamentary scrutiny and external communications, including committee work, questioning and interviewing techniques, and public speaking skills. Further remote mentoring sessions are planned for September and October.

    CPA UK delegation leader Kate Osamor MP stated:

    “This workshop presents an exciting opportunity to reconnect with colleagues from the Parliament of Uganda and compare our approaches to scrutiny of government and media engagement. Commonwealth parliamentarians are a fantastic resource for one another, and sharing experiences helps us in fulfilling our roles as legislators and representatives.”

    UN Women Deputy Representative Adekemi Ndieli stated:

    “The participation of women in decision making is a key element in promoting democracy. Use of the knowledge and skills acquired from this workshop will go a long way in contributing to building skills that will enable the MPs to communicate their work effectively to the media, the public, on the floor of parliament and in their different committees.

    UN Women works closely with the Parliament of Uganda through UWOPA, supporting members of parliament to better understand the needs of women and girls and to use their positions to advance women empowerment, gender equality and fight gender-based violence against women and girls.

    CPA UK has enjoyed close ties with the Parliament of Uganda since 2016, with a particular focus on support for women parliamentarians and parliamentarians working on legislation to curb human trafficking and other forms of exploitation.

  • Nigel Topping, UK High Level Climate Change Champion for COP26 visits Uganda

    Nigel Topping, UK High Level Climate Change Champion for COP26 visits Uganda

    Kampala: Nigel Topping, the United Kingdom’s High Level Climate Change Champion is in Uganda for a one day visit. 

    His visit signals the UK’s commitment to carry forward the actions from COP26 as we countdown to COP27.

    His visit included a meeting with representatives from the Ministry of Water and Environment, Uganda Cities and Infrastructure Growth, Ugandan climate youth activists and CEO’s from major commercial banks to understand the climate situation in Uganda.

    The negative impacts of climate change in Uganda are clear, with irregular weather and increased rains causing significant loss of life and livelihoods dependent on natural capital.

    Nigel Topping, UK High Level Climate Change Champion poses with Ministry Officials and Climate youth activists at the British High Commission Kampala

    The UK has partnered with Uganda to develop climate resilient technologies, harnessing expertise and innovation in order to find solutions that ensure Uganda is adapting for the future.

    For example, the WISER programme led by the UK is supporting better access to climate and weather information services aimed to support 198,000 farmers to reduce their vulnerability to climatic hazards.

    Following COP26 held in November 2021 in Glasgow in the UK, and the ambitions that were set out by various countries, Topping’s visit emphasises the UK’s resolve to tackle climate change and to continue to engage with countries to find solutions to the climate crisis. As highlighted at COP26, mobilising finance is key to delivering our climate goals. The UK is focused on supporting Uganda in accessing both private and public finance in order to realise opportunities for green growth and create a resilient and adaptive environment for the growing population to thrive.

    Damali Ssali, a panelist stresses a point while Meddia Ssemambo and Nigel Topping look on during the climate change panel session at the British High Commission Kampala

    Topping met representatives from the Ministry of Water and Environment to understand Uganda’s progress on the nationally determined contributions (NDC’s) and its own COP26’s commitments.

    He also met the Uganda Cities and Infrastructure Growth to discuss the status of the energy sector and infrastructure development, a project supported by the UK Government. The highlight of his visit was a panel discussion with climate youth activists on what more needs to be done to tackle climate change globally and in Uganda.

    Speaking about his visit, Nigel Topping said:

    ‘I am excited about Uganda’s focus on climate and environment issues and also encouraged by the stakeholders I have met today who have shared interventions that I believe will  be key to tackling climate change in Uganda. The UK remains a strong ally of Uganda in the fight against climate change’.

  • UK backs Africa’s ambitious continental free trade initiative

    UK backs Africa’s ambitious continental free trade initiative

    • UK launches programme of up to £35m to support negotiations and implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
    • The AfCTFA is expected to lift 30 million people out of extreme poverty, create jobs, and provide new commercial opportunities for businesses across Africa and the UK.
    • It comes as Wamkele Mene, Secretary General of the AfCFTA Secretariat, visits London to discuss how the UK can continue its work as a strategic partner to the trading bloc.

    UK International Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan has announced a new UK programme to support the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) trading bloc.

    Through the AfCFTA Support Programme, the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) will provide up to £35m to provide trade facilitation and trade policy support to the AfCFTA Secretariat and Member States through TradeMark East Africa (TMEA), Overseas Development Institute (ODI) and other regional partners.

    Announcement of the programme comes as AfCFTA Secretariat Secretary General Wamkele Mene visits London to discuss how the UK can continue its work as a strategic partner to the AfCFTA.

    As the world’s largest free trade area, the AfCFTA has the potential to boost Africa’s economic growth by driving industrialisation, generating jobs and delivering prosperity across the continent.

    For UK businesses, the trade bloc will remove market access barriers by creating a single continental market, making it easier and more cost-effective for UK businesses to export goods and services across the 54 AfCFTA member states.

    International Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan said:

    “As an independent free trading nation, the UK strongly supports the AfCFTA – the largest free trade area in the world.

    We’re keen to see continued momentum on outstanding negotiations, and on practical implementation of the agreement on the ground.

    This new aid programme shows that trade is a force for good, and will lead to increased trade, investment, and prosperity for both Africa and the UK.”

    Secretary General of the AfCFTA Secretariat Wamkele Mene said:

    “We are pleased to receive this support from the Government of the UK, as it ushers us into a partnership for strengthening cooperation related to customs and trade facilitation and trade policy across the African continent.

    In the last five years or so, we have seen the re-engineering of our Regional Economic Communities, to take into consideration the aspirations that are embedded in the AfCFTA instruments. We have also witnessed during this period the enthusiasm and the energy of our private sector to rise to the occasion and begin to exploit what is provided for in the Agreement.

    Our ambition now is to see commercially meaningful trading in ‘Made in the AfCFTA’ products taking place, across the length and breadth of our continent, to create jobs and economic opportunities for Africans, especially women and the youth. We want to make trade easier for the Africans, in particular our women and young Africans who trade across our borders.

    This new AfCFTA support programme is, therefore, timely to facilitate the implementation of the AfCFTA, through supporting national implementation committees and regional economic communities.”

    Minister for Africa Vicky Ford said:

    “Closer integration between African economies boosts growth across the continent creates opportunities and helps lift people out of poverty.

    The UK is a committed partner in this mission. This UK funding will promote long-term partnerships between African countries and support a more prosperous, greener continent.

    I am delighted to be supporting the AfCFTA Secretariat and its Member States to deliver freer and fairer trade systems in Africa.”

    The programme builds on existing work from the FCDO and DIT Trade for Development unit to strengthen partnerships and resilience in Africa.

    Under the UK’s G7 presidency last year, the new British Investment International (BII) group pledged to work with other G7 Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) to invest at least $80 billion in the African private sector by 2027.

    Support for projects in Africa from UK Export Finance is also at its highest in decades, backing a range of infrastructure projects in countries from Côte d’Ivoire to Uganda, with more than £2.3 billion of financial support in the past year.

    The AfCFTA Support Programme also complements the UK’s broader partnership with the African Union as a multilateral institution to promote global values.

    Alongside the Secretary of State for International Trade and Minister for Africa, Secretary General Mene will meet with members of the UK’s business and investor community while in London.

  • UK’s Special Envoy on Gender Equality visits Uganda

    UK’s Special Envoy on Gender Equality visits Uganda

    Kampala; The UK’s Prime Minister’s Special Envoy on Gender Equality, and Director of Education, Gender, and Equality, Alicia Herbert OBE, visited Uganda from the 26 to 28 January to see first-hand the work the UK is doing to support girls and boys to access and benefit from quality education in Uganda.

    It was also an opportunity for her to meet stakeholders and partners to discuss key issues in education in Uganda, following the full reopening of schools after almost two years.

    Alicia Herbert (3rd right) addresses media alongside MoES, UNICEF and British High Commission representatives

    At a roundtable event at the High Commissioner’s Residence the Special Envoy met with Government of Uganda representatives, religious leaders and other key stakeholders to discuss the high levels of teenage pregnancy in Uganda, which have been exacerbated by the COVID school closures. They discussed the guidelines for re-entry of pregnant girls into schools and the need to roll out the Sexuality Education Framework in schools, to give access to information on reproductive health for girls and boys.

    Ms Herbert OBE said:

    “Some girls who become pregnant in African countries automatically lose their right to an education. Uganda has done the right thing by releasing guidelines to allow pregnant girls back in school. We must all respect the girl child’s right to an education.”

    Ms Herbert OBE also visited Rhino Camp refugee settlement in West Nile and met girls who are receiving counselling and practical support to get back into school after early pregnancy. The work, delivered by a consortium of NGOs led by Save the Children, is funded by the global fund ‘Education Cannot Wait’ (ECW). The UK is a leading donor to ECW, which is supporting the implementation of Uganda’s policy for the integration of refugees into schools. Alicia also observed teachers delivering remedial lessons to students eager to learn after prolonged closures.

    Learning recovery after COVID closures was a key theme for the visit and Ms Herbert also launched the UK’s community led learning project in Arua, which aims to mitigate the negative effects of school closures for up to 365,000 lower primary children over the next 12 months. Officiating the launch with the Commissioner of Basic Education from the Ministry of Education and Sports, Dr Cleophus Mugenyi, Alicia said:

    “Foundational skills are the building blocks needed to make any progress in school and reap the full rewards of education. Therefore, they must be prioritised first.  Everything else will follow.  Prioritising foundational learning for all, is the smart as well as the right thing to do.”

    The Special Envoy, together with the World Bank and UNICEF also launched a report by the prestigious Global Education Evidence Advisory Panel (GEEAP). The report, which was released globally on Wednesday 26th and locally in Uganda on Friday 28th, is titled: ‘Prioritizing Learning During COVID-19’. It provides recommendations from the GEEAP, an independent, cross-disciplinary body composed of leading education experts, including a Nobel Prize winner. It offers guidance on how education systems in low- and middle-income countries can reverse the learning losses and widening inequalities (gender, socioeconomic, and other) caused by the pandemic.

    The launch which took place at the Sheraton Hotel in Kampala, was attended by Ms Ketty Lamaro, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education and Sports (MoES). The recommendations of the report state that governments should prioritise keeping schools open through COVID-19 to prevent further learning losses, and that foundational learning should be a priority.

    The visit concluded with a small reception for Ugandan Chevening and Commonwealth Scholarship Alumni. The Special Envoy’s portfolio includes Scholarships and this was a chance for her to meet with Ugandan beneficiaries of the UK’s scholarship schemes and hear from them about their time studying in the UK.

    Since its inception in 1982 the UK government has provided opportunities for 294 Ugandans to study in the UK under the Chevening Programme.

  • UK Minister for Africa visits Uganda to strengthen bilateral relationship

    UK Minister for Africa visits Uganda to strengthen bilateral relationship

    The United Kingdom’s Minister for Africa, Vicky Ford MP was in Uganda on Wednesday 19 January. This is her first visit to Uganda following her appointment as the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Minister for Africa in September 2021.

    The Minister’s visit included bilateral meetings with His Excellency President Museveni and the Foreign Minister Honourable Jeje Odongo focused on strengthening security and deepening the economic and development partnership between the UK and Uganda.  The Minister also hosted a roundtable event for Human Rights defenders, reaffirming the UK’s commitment to promoting freedoms and democracy.

    UK Minister for Africa Vicky Ford breaks ground at UK funded adminstration block at Onwards and Upwards school in Buloba

    The visit was also an opportunity for the Minister to emphasise the UK’s commitment to supporting the education and health sectors in Uganda. Minister Ford visited Onwards and Upwards school, a Promoting Equality in African Schools (PEAS) School in Wakiso district, where she met with students who spoke about the impact two years of school closures have had on them and their aspirations for the future.

    PEAS is a not-for-profit operator of low-cost, quality secondary schools and has 28 schools in Uganda with over 13,500 students enrolled. The UK has been providing funding to PEAS since 2012 helping support provision of financially self-sustaining low-cost private education to girls. During the COVID 19 school closure PEAS continued to protect access to education through the provision of quality education material to support remote learning. The Minister spoke to school administrators about the PEAS model and how it can be used to get more girls into school.

    The Minister visited the Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI) to witness the successes that have resulted from the collaboration between the UK and Uganda on research into HIV and other related diseases, including Ebola and COVID-19. The UVRI connections with the UK have existed since its founding in 1936 and UVRI now receives funding from the UK Government through the Medical Research Council and the UK Research Institute. UVRI is leading the way in the fight against COVID-19 and the Minister recognised the important role they have played on COVID-19 containment efforts, research and data generation with the help of UK funding.

    UK Minister for Africa visits Onwards and Upwards school in Buloba as interacts with some science students in the science lab on her first visit to Uganda

    The UK has been a long-standing supporter of Uganda’s fight against COVID-19 and has already donated almost 300,000 AstraZeneca vaccine doses in 2021. This week, the UK agreed with the Government of Uganda that they will donate a further one million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

    Speaking about her visit to Uganda Minister for Africa Vicky Ford MP, said:

    “The people of the UK and Uganda have a longstanding partnership. My visit to the Uganda touched on how deep and wide this partnership is, from regional security to trade and development, from girl’s education to supporting COVID19 response. This is a relationship which benefits the people of Uganda and the UK, and this visit has demonstrated the breadth of opportunities there are to deepen our partnership further.”

    “I gained many insights from my frank and wide-ranging discussions with His Excellency President Museveni, his government, our development partners and others. We are positioning the UK at the heart of an unrivalled global network of economic, diplomatic and security partnerships. I look forward to further engagement in those areas where we have identified opportunities for further bilateral cooperation – from regional security, economic partnership, education and women’s empowerment and collectively tackling global challenges like COVID-19.

    “I also had interesting discussions with a range of interlocutors about the importance of freedoms and democracy. The UK is a champion of freedom, promoting the values of democracy and equality and we want to continue to work with Uganda on these issues.”

    H.E Kate Airey OBE, British High Commissioner to Uganda said:

    ‘Minister Ford’s visit demonstrates UK’s desire to grow the relationship between our two nations. We want to see a prosperous Uganda, because a prosperous Uganda means a prosperous UK. I am proud of the work the United Kingdom is doing in Uganda and this visit has been an opportunity to demonstrate the UK’s continued commitment to the bilateral relationship, showcasing UK partnership with Uganda across the board.

  • The UK hosts a Climate Youth Engagement Event in advance of COP26

    The UK hosts a Climate Youth Engagement Event in advance of COP26

    Kampala; On Thursday 21st October the British High Commissioner Kate Airey OBE and the British Council Country Director for Uganda Chilufya Besa hosted a Climate Youth Engagement event bringing together prominent young Ugandan climate actors and key members of the Ugandan COP26 delegation, including the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Water and Environment.

    The 26th UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) will take place in Glasgow between 31 October and 12 November, hosted by the UK in partnership with Italy. With less than two weeks to go before the start of COP26, and following on from the Youth4Climate summit hosted by Italy at the end of September, this event was a key moment in Uganda’s COP26 preparations.

    Young people have been among the strongest voices calling for urgent global action to address climate change and youth voices will be at the heart of COP26. Uganda is fortunate to have many passionate and active youth climate activists, entrepreneurs, scholars and leading employees of climate and energy organisations including Vanessa Nakate, who attended the Youth4Climate summit in Milan in September and gave an impassioned and emotional speech underlining how climate change is affecting Africa.

    The event, hosted in Kampala by the British High Commission, was designed to give a platform to other prominent Ugandan climate activists to share and discuss their concerns about climate change in Uganda, the region and globally with key members of the Ugandan COP26 delegation in advance of their trip to the UK. It was an opportunity for young people to speak about their hopes for COP26 and the actions they would like to see come from it, helping to give young people a voice in Uganda’s climate negotiations. Youth participants were also encouraged to share a written statement entitled ‘Uganda Youth Statement of Priorities for COP26’.

    In attendance were youth activists from organisations such as Resilient 40, Girls for Climate, Youth Go Green and Smart Youth Initiative plus Chevening and Commonwealth Scholarship alumni who studied in the climate field.

    Speaking at the event the British High Commissioner Kate Airey said:‘ COP26 is a critical moment, not just for Uganda but for the whole world and collaboration is key. We need the whole world to come together and commit to ambitious climate action and that includes youth. Youth have a key role to play in raising ambition, but also in implementing action. This is an opportunity to send a message to both the UK Presidency and the Ugandan delegation on what their priorities should be and what a successful COP should look like’.

    British Council Country Director Chilufya Besa added: ‘Last month, the British Council launched the Global Youth Letter which expressed the views, experiences and aspirations of 8,000 young people from across 23 countries. By directly addressing the leaders attending COP26 at today’s event, the young people in Uganda have added their voices to what is a global call for urgent action to protect our planet’.

  • Janet Rogan, UK COP26 Regional Ambassador for the Middle East and Africa visits Uganda

    Janet Rogan, UK COP26 Regional Ambassador for the Middle East and Africa visits Uganda

    Kampala; Janet Rogan said she is delighted to be visiting Uganda just about three weeks ahead of COP26, the UN Climate Change Conference that the UK will host in Glasgow for two weeks in November.

    COP26 will take place against a background of several interlinked global crises – COVID, climate, economy, development, oil/energy and security/conflict. So this COP will be very important.

    The COP will start with the World Leaders Summit – and more than 120 world leaders have already confirmed that they will attend – including President Museveni. HM the Queen. The Pope – who last week handed over a joint interfaith statement on climate action by global faith leaders.

    Her visit as COP26 Regional Ambassador for Africa and the Middle East is part of a series of visits to engage with countries about their participation in the COP and to hear their priorities.

    “We have four key priorities for COP26:- mitigation – every country acting to reduce global warming by reducing the amount of greenhouse gases they produce especially through power generation, transport and agriculture,” she said.

    As part of the preparation for COP26, and as set out in the Paris Agreement on Climate Action, each country is supposed to report on its circumstances and actions since 2015 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, as well as produce an updated plan for future action with increased levels of ambition. This is called the Nationally Determined Contribution.

    Uganda is still working on its NDC but this is the very last minute and I urge the government to submit it to UNFCCC by the final deadline of 12 October so that it can be included in the sysnthesis report for discussion at COP26.- adaptation – every country is already feeling the impact of changes in our climate.

    “Here in Uganda, which is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world, we are seeing changes in rainfall patterns, deforestation, soil degradation. We need to adapt our ways of living and working to take account of these changes and also to prevent further changes from happening. We need to build resilience at all levels including right down to grass roots and across communities. ALl this costs money so our third priority is:- finance – we are pushing the developed countries to reach the target of USD 100 bullion every year for developing countries that was promised at Paris in 2015, but has never yet been met.

    And we want to ensure that climate finance is more accessible – not enough funds have reached the places where they are needed, especially grants for adaptation.

    We need to get the finances flowing. – and fourth – collaboration. No government can take climate action alone – it needs the private sector, civil society, academia, communities and individuals all to play their part – including the media!”.