UN appraises Uganda's social and cultural rights

By Taddeo Bwambale

UGANDA’S economic, social and cultural rights record is due to be reviewed by the UN Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Committee starting Wednesday.

Uganda is one of the 164 States that have ratified the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR).

A government delegation will meet the UN committee of 18 international independent experts in Geneva, Switzerland to review Uganda’s performance on issues relating to the Covenant.

Several Ugandan organisations submitted petitions to the UN committee on earlier on Monday, drawing concern to policies, laws and interventions to guarantee social and cultural rights.

One of the organisations, the National Coalition on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights said that there was a soaring increase in unemployment and under-employment. 

The organisation wants Uganda to adopt and implement a comprehensive plan to deal with the problem of street children, with focus on safeguarding the family as a pillar for development. 

Human Rights Network (HURINET) petitioned against the 2015 Non-Governmental Organization Bill saying it will limit civil society space.

The organisation also cites gaps in the policy and legal framework regarding the right to food. The Food and Nutrition Bill was drafted in 2008, but has never been passed into law. 

Evicted Community Members in Mubende, a local organisation said it has been struggling for 14 years to get justice after 401 families were evicted from four villages in Mubende district.

The group said the eviction meant to give way for setting up Kaweri Coffee Plantation was violent, abrupt and no compensation was given to them by Ugandan army which evicted them. 

The Global Initiative for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, speaking in a joint statement, told the committee that land grabbing had become a serious issue in Uganda. 

The activists said land grabbing had led to increased conflicts over land, especially in the oil rich Albertine region of the country. 

Initiative for Social and Economic Rights said the quality of education had declined and that vulnerable groups such as children with disabilities continued to be left behind.

The group drew concern on the rapid privatization of education, with approximately 27% of primary students and 66% of secondary school students in private schools. 

Representatives of pastoralist communities said indigenous pastoralists were at risk of losing their land to conservation and development projects. 

They want Uganda to recognize pastoralists as indigenous peoples in order to guarantee and protect their land rights.

Franciscans International asked the UN Committee to prevail over Uganda to revise its laws and administrative procedures to ensure universal and free birth registration.

The organisation said the existing law does not adequately reflect economic and social realities of Ugandans and the process of obtaining birth certificates is long and costly for many.