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The Government has commended the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for its continued support to the development in Uganda, especially towards the ongoing preparations to host two upcoming international summits scheduled for January 2024.

Uganda is scheduled to host the 19th Summit of Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Heads of State and Government, a forum of 120 member states, which will take place from 15 to 20 January 2024.

The country is also scheduled to host the Third South Summit organized under the framework of Group 77 (G77) and China, a loose alliance of developing countries that will take place in the same place from 21 to 23 January 2023.

Vincent Bagiire Waiswa, (R) the Permanent Secretary (PS), Ministry of Foreign Affairs speaking at the event where he received ICT equipment from UNDP. (Photo by Eddie Ssejjoba)

Vincent Bagiire Waiswa, the Permanent Secretary (PS), Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the Government was happy with its relationship with the UNDP and that it was confident that the support the organization had rendered to the country over the years was helping to contribute to humanity.

Waiswa made the remarks on Wednesday at the ministry’s boardroom, where on behalf of the Government, he received ICT equipment worth millions of shillings from the UNDP Resident Representative in Uganda, Elsie G. Attafuah. The donation was towards helping the ministry in hosting the two international events. 

The equipment included 60 desktop computers, two heavy-duty photocopiers, two desktop printers, 35 Wi-Fi access points, and two conference units.

Vincent Bagiire Waiswa, (R) the Permanent Secretary (PS), Ministry of Foreign Affairs receiving ICT equipment from the UNDP Representative, Elsie G. Attafuah. (Photo by Eddie Ssejjoba)

The PS explained that beyond the donation, the ministry is collaborating with UNDP to engage in different broader activities, some of which, he said, relate to commercial and economic diplomacy.

The organization, he explained, will also support the ministry to hold a business event on the sidelines of NAM. “This event will attract investors from other countries as well as Ugandans, and we will be having engagements with these individuals with a deal to increase our foreign direct investments portfolio in our country”.

He added that UNDP will also support the ministry with translation facilities during the summit. He said, “For such a multilateral summit like NAM and G77, you can get everything right, but if you don’t get the translation right, you can spoil the summit, so the translation is extremely important, and we are therefore grateful that UNDP has been able to secure for us equipment and some of the best translators”. 

Speaking at the event, Attafuah appreciated the long-standing relationship the organization has had with the government of Uganda for over 40 years and thanked the government for supporting their work. 

According to Attafuah, the UNDP was seeking to focus on three major activities that include advancing structural transformation in the countries that they work with.

Vincent Bagiire Waiswa, (L), and the UNDP Representative, Elsie G. Attafuah (second left) after receiving ICT equipment. (Photo by Eddie Ssejjoba)

“We cannot continue to do development as we have been doing it, that is why we need to find the causes of underdevelopment and be able to advance issues of structural transformation,” she stressed. The other area, she said, was ‘leaving no one behind’, which relates to focusing on the ‘wanainchi’ or ordinary people.

“The direction of UNDP is to push forward the resilience to crises and shocks, as you know, in the last few years, many of our countries, including Uganda, have experienced crises,” she said, adding that in the partnership with the government, it had become central to them making sure UNDP continues to support Uganda’s development agenda.