UN resident co-ordinator Zulu calls for women, child-friendly services at polling stations

The United Nations Resident Coordinator in Uganda, Leonard Zulu, has called for the establishment of women and child-friendly facilities at polling centres for all to participate in elections.

He made the call on December 19, 2025, at the UN Women offices in Naguru Kampala, during the exhibition of Women's leadership in peace-building initiatives in Uganda.

The elections, according to the Electoral Commission, will kick off with presidential elections on January 15, 202,6, and the rest will follow till February 6.

“This is the time to demonstrate the togetherness, unity and especially to ensure that all the electoral process, the voting spaces are women-friendly, children-friendly. You know, some ladies will carry babies on their back when they go to vote, so children will be there; they need protection,” Zulu said.

He added that Women's leadership in peace-building is not only a matter of rights, but also of practical necessity for sustainable peace and development.

“This exhibition reflects this reality, showing how women, especially at the grassroots level, make peace possible every day, everywhere,” Zulu said.

He added that the campaign is part of the Women Uganda 2025 Plus campaign, which brings together women leaders and male changemakers from different sectors to highlight a positive narrative around gender equality and celebrate women's leadership and inclusion in all spaces.

Zulu said the campaign aligns with the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and reinforces our shared commitment to a Uganda where women's voices are visible, heard, valued, and influential in shaping sustainable peace and development.

Explaining the significance of the exhibition, UN Women country representative Paulina Chiwangu said the exhibition and knowledge fair was aimed at celebrating women's leadership, which is in line with the Women Uganda 2025 plus campaign.

The campaign, launched last year with the Netherlands embassy in Uganda, was aimed at mobilising members of the community, including men, to support women in promoting peace-building.

She explained further how Uganda is supporting women to promote peace through its inclusive process, adding that Uganda’s approach is highly participatory.

“It involves civil society, it involves academia, it involves development partners, all of them working with the government, local government and the national government,” Chiwangu added.

Officiating as chief guest, Minister of State for the Elderly Gidudu Mafabi said Uganda, as a UN member state, has ratified and domesticated a number of international and regional instruments, including the Beijing Platform for Action, which protect and promote the rights of women and empowerment.

On how the Government is helping women achieve their peace-building missions, Mafabi said the Government is doing so through the economic empowerment programs.

These are being channelled through the Parish Development Model programme, where women are entitled to 30% of the funds sent to districts, Grow project, where women in business can access cheap capital, and the Uganda Women Entrepreneurship funds, that are also targeting women in business, among others.