Uganda Human Rights Commission Prepares Government Agencies For UN Periodic Review!

UHRC Chairperson Adv. Mariam Wangadya in a group photo with participants

By John Okello Lapok

 

As Uganda prepares to present it’s progress report towards the implementation of Universal Periodic Review (UPR) 2022, the Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC) has convened a meeting with various stakeholders to assess the country’s progress towards the fulfillment of these targets.

 

In this meeting held on Monday at Esella Hotel in Kira Municipality, representatives from Civil society organizations (CSOs) , Government Ministries and Agencies, Judiciary, Uganda Law Society and Academia, shared best practices through which they can use in coming up with well detailed reports capturing the country’s progress towards fulfillment of the 2022 recommendations.

 

“This national conference is pivotal platform because it allows us to ask the hard questions, to listen to each other and promotes corroboration. The reports we produce, must be honest , highlighting an improvements done. Let’s talk results, life improved , system strengthened, let us de bank the lies, by telling the stories of positive change which have happened in our domain.” said Adv. Mariam Wangadya, Chairperson Uganda Human Rights Commission while officiating the grand opening of the one day conference.

 

She also pointed out that, Uganda has under gone three UPR cycles with the first one being the one of 2011, followed by 2016 and the recent one of 2022.

“In 2016 , Uganda received 226 recommendations, accepted 148 and noted 78. In 2022 Uganda received 273 recommendations, accepted 139 , noted 134 thus registering an acceptance rate of 51 percent.” She said

 

Wangadya emphasized that although some people may look at this percentage as a tiny one, she reminded them that numbers alone don’t tell a full story. She explained that behind each recommendation accepted, lies a commitment, behind each commitment there is a policy and behind each policy, a life is potentially transformed.

 

“On the issue of funding, the budget for the commission has seen moderate increase in the past financial year, moderate is not enough. We need resources especially during this electoral process that we are entering into.” Wangadya noted.

 

Meanwhile, Ruth Ssekindi, Director Monitoring and Inspection at UHRC , during her presentation at this engagement noted that the Government of Uganda is not only answerable to its citizens on matters of Human Rights protection, but also answerable to other state parties at Global level.

“There are different states which use reports from UHRC on the state of human rights, CSOs, Independent experts and special procedure to asses Uganda’s performance in the human rights field.” She said

 

Ssekindi also pointed out that UPR is not an ordinary process as many may take it but rather it’s for United Nations (UN) Review Mechanism for Human Rights held every after 4 and half years, with each of the 193 UN member states undergoing review not by force but by commitment.

 

UGANDA AT A GLANCE

 

Under social protection, the country’s senior citizens grant now reaches over 370,000 older persons across uganda.

 

Poverty reduction, through programs like Parish Development Model (PDM) , Government has pushed 2.5 trillion into community level transformation.

 

Gender and disability inclusion, the national action plan of women on peace and Security is being implemented in 40 districts, slowly but surely barriers are falling.

 

Under child protection, Uganda has intensified action against child labor and trafficking resulting into 2000 rescue operations and convictions, under the Anti trafficking in persons act , no child should be sold used or lost.

 

In access to Justice over 250 paralegals have been trained and deployed in the remote regions in partnership between Uganda Law Society and Uganda Human Rights Commission.

 

Following intervention of Uganda Human Rights Commission, pre trial detainees are now being fast tracked which was not the case before.

 

The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) is a process where the human rights record of each United Nations Member State is reviewed by the UN Human Rights Council roughly every 4.5 years.

 

REPORT SUBMISSION

 

Uganda Human Rights Commission and civil society organizations have to submit their reports before 25th June 2026, well as Uganda’s national report will be submitted in October 2026.