Uganda told to appoint rep to Democratic Governance body

By Vision Reporter

Development Partners have called upon Government to expedite the appointment of its representative to the governing board of the Democratic Governance Facility (DGF).

The Democratic Governance Facility was established by Austria, Denmark, Ireland, Netherlands, Sweden, United Kingdom and the European Union to support the strengthening of democratisation, protection of human rights and improvement of access to human rights and accountability in Uganda.

The British High Commissioner, Alison Blackburn who is the current Chair of DGF, expressed the development partners request on Monday during the meeting with Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi at his Office in Kampala.

The British High Commissioner, on behalf of the development partners, asked Government to play a key role in the management of DGF as the country prepares the 2016 general elections, adding that the development partners are keen on a transparent engagement with the Government.

Mbabazi, who was flanked by the minister for generaldDuties Prof. Tarsis Kabwegyere, said Government has set up a committee to discuss the best form of Government’s representation on the DGF governing board and made recommendations to the President for decision making.

The Premier expressed gratitude to DGF for supporting the Inter-Party Organisation Dialogue (IPOD) platform through which trust is being built and leadership nurtured to consolidate democracy in the country.

The meeting also discussed ways of monitoring the activities of non-governmental organisations operating in the country and also strengthening the capacity of government organs charged with investigating corruption issues in Government.

The Head of DFID, Daniel Graymore urged Government to consider rolling out the Social Assistance Grant for Empowerment (SAGE) country wide, urging that evaluation of the pilot phase shows strong economic impact and improvement in nutrition and social dignity.