Uganda marks 24 years of global commitment to women peace

KAMPALA - Uganda on Thursday (October 31, 2024) joined the rest of the world to mark 24 years of the global commitment to peace and security of women.

The United Nations (UN) agencies and diplomatic lists used the occasion marked through a joint press conference with government officials at the Uganda Media Centre, to commend Uganda on its regional peace and security strategy which has among others secured thousands of women and children in the region.

On October 31, 2000, the United Nations Security Council resolution 1325, on women, peace and security was adopted.

The UN Security Council made history by unanimously passing the resolution which was the first ever to acknowledge the gender dimensions in the armed conflicts.

The landmark resolution included commitments to the prevention of sexual and gender-based violence, the protection of women and girls and their unique needs in conflict settings, participation of women in conflict prevention, resolution and peacebuilding.

Representatives of the UN agencies which included the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), UN Women, and diplomats from Japan and Norway, indicated that fruits of Uganda’s proactive peace and security strategy in the region were vast.

“The evidence is very clear here in Uganda. Of the nearly 1.8 million refugees that we have here, 79% of them are women and children. In any refugee settlement, it is evident, you don't find many men there, but mostly women and children,” Matthew Crentsil, UNHCR country representative said.

Most of the refugees in Uganda come from South Sudan followed by almost half a million of them from Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) whose vast eastern region is riddled with conflicts driven by multiple insurgent groups.

Sasayama Takuya, the Japanese Ambassador to Uganda addresses journalists during a press conference at the Uganda Media Centre on October 31, 2024. (Credit: Nancy Nanyonga)

The other countries which contribute to Uganda’s refugee burden include Somalia, Burundi, and Eritrea, among others.

“This year, the vast majority of refugees have come from Sudan numbering more than 55,000. On average over the past three years, every month more than 10,000 refugees enter Uganda. This shows why peace and security is so important because the main driver of refugees in the region is lack of peace and security which mostly affect women and children,” he said.

Natasha Butorac while representing the UN Women country representative Paulina Chiwangu rallied all the stakeholders to look at the current state of global conflict as a stark reminder of the sustained importance of the women's peace and security agenda in the region and the continent.

“UN Women commends Uganda for being one of the leaders in the area of women, peace and security agenda in the region and across the continent with sustained level commitment,” she said.

In 2008, Uganda became the second country and eighth country globally to adopt a national action plan on women's peace and security committing to implement the outlines of the UN Security Council resolution (1325) in Uganda's unique context.

It is currently implementing its third national action plan (2021-2025) launched by President Yoweri Museveni in 2021.

Also, Uganda's tenure as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council between 2009 and 2010 played a pivotal role in the council's unanimous adoption of Resolution 1888 on strengthening the protection of women and girls from sexual violence in armed conflict.

Uganda was also key in Resolution 1960 on the accountability for conflict-related sexual violence, all building on the efforts set out in Resolution 1325 to strengthen the response and the prevention of sexual violence in conflicts.

Mathew Crentsil, the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) Representative to Uganda addresses journalists during a press conference at the Uganda Media Centre on October 31, 2024. (Credit: Nancy Nanyonga)

“We require greater coordination among actors working in the women, peace and security space at all levels, with a focus on experience sharing, knowledge transfer and network building to strengthen collective efforts,” Butorac said.

The gender minister, Betty Amongi, regretted that currently over 100 countries globally are facing armed conflicts and gender parity is completely being lost because of these wars.

“If you look at what is happening in DRC, Sudan, South Sudan, Central African Republic, Ethiopia, Somalia within the context of Africa, the current war Israel war, in Gaza, Palestinian, Lebanon, Iran, and Afghanistan, what do you see?”

“You see women, girls and children, the most affected. You see women unable to access medical care. You see pregnant women dying because war has cut off essential health services to them, most Unfortunately, most men will use armed conflicts as a tool or weapon against women in the form of rape, sexual and gender-based violence,” she said.

For Uganda, she said they adopted the national action plan to not only operationalize the UN resolution 1325 but also the African Union (AU)’s Maputo protocol, East African Community protocol and the one on the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region.

“Our implementation also is anchored on the Nation Development Plan (NDP). We have put in place several legislations at a country level to address gender-based violence. Key among them is the Constitution, Domestic Violence Act of 2010, Prevention of Trafficking in Persons Act 2000, and Prohibition of FGM (female genital mutilation), and we have adopted guidelines for rationalizing the UN Security Council and the African Union protocol through our national action plan on Women peace and security,” she said.

The Ambassador of Japan in Uganda, Takuya Ssasayama said their embassy is working not only with UN agencies but also with local authorities and communities in areas such as West Nile to help women in need mostly refugees.

“We are doing this not only through international organizations like UNHCR, UN Women or any other UN agencies we work with NGOs including Japanese NGOs such as Peace with Japan, Ashinaga, Save the Children Uganda and Japan.  As the Embassy of Japan, we also conduct some grassroots efforts to help individual entities to completely advance the agenda of women in peace and security, among others,” he said.