Joint Programme oN Gender Equality 2010 - 2014 Whereas the introduction of universal primary education resulted in increased enrolment for girls and boys, which reached 90.4 percent for girls and 93 percent for boys in 2006, the completion rates to primary seven were only 42 percent for girls and 53 percent for boys in the same year. Key causes of drop-out for girls are early pregnancy, sexual harassment, and lack of sanitation facilities (Uganda Demographic and Household Survey, 2006). Women are responsible for 80% of agricultural production in Uganda What is the purpose of the Joint Programme? T he goal of the United Nations Joint Programming on Gender Equality (JPGE) is, “Enhanced gender equality in access to services and opportunities.” The purpose of the joint programme is to address the national priorities for gender equality as outlined in the Uganda Gender Policy and the National Development Plan and aligned to the targets of the Millennium Development Goals. What are the issues the joint programme addresses? 1 Uganda has registered considerable progress in the last decade towards the attainment of gender equality and women’s empowerment through normative frameworks on equality in education, political and economic empowerment, the implementation of relevant policies and laws. There have been some improvements in other structural and systemic bottlenecks.However, national commitments to some provisions in international and regional rights frameworks, including CEDAW and the Maputo Protocol, have yet to be complied with, while some MDG targets, such as maternal and child mortality rates are unlikely to be achieved by 2015. An increase in investments in human and social capital is therefore imperative. The maternal mortality rate at 435 per 100,000 live births is among the highest in Sub-Saharan Africa and is well short of the 2015 MDG target of 131. This state of affairs is compounded by the increase in new HIV infections amongst married couples indicating unequal gender relations that are exemplified by women’s inability to access protection. Further, the increasing incidence of gender-based violence and sexual violence and the inability of duty bearers to effectively respond to the needs of survivors warrant improved remedial response and justice system. This can be achieved through collaborative stakeholder partnerships and the UN agencies ‘delivery-as-one.’ How does the programme address these issues? Premised on the socio-economic situation interventions being undertaken in the programme and planned up to the end of 2014 the programme aims to accelerate progress towards positive change by advancing gender equality and empowerment of women and the girl child. This is being done and will continue to be done through actions that strengthen frameworks at different levels, responsible for effecting change in gender equality planning and results. Strengthening the capacities of the national gender machinery, key line ministries, priority sectors, government agencies, local governments and civil society organisations for gender responsive planning and budgeting and programme delivery through training and institutionalized use of gender disaggregated data is intended to improve gender mainstreaming and as a result the wellbeing of women, men, boys and girls. Actions intended to address gender-based violence and its consequences include improving access to serJoint Programme I 2012 vices, including maternal health and psychosocial services, by appropriately equipping district Health Centres 3 and 4; setting up integrated SGBV prevention and response services in selected district, and training medical officers and other actors in the justice, law and order sector in SGBV case management. Work on developing a policy and legal framework for victim and witness protection is also planned. Interventions being undertaken in education address constraints to access, retention and completion of primary-school going girls and Improving service delivery in the education and health in areas of operation. Actions taken try to address practical issues that impinge retention and completion in primary schools and include capacity building; securing the formalization of policies that promotes gender fair education, and the rolling out of Girls Education Movement clubs in primary schools. What are the results of the programme? Support to stakeholder initiatives saw government approval of a landmark policy, National Employment Policy (2010) that acknowledges gender disparity in wage employment with only 12% women engaging in wage employment, compared to 25% men. The policy will be a tool to advance the rights and promote the working conditions of workers, especially women. The National SGBV Survey, a collaborative effort between MGLSD and the Uganda Bureau of Statistics resulted in the feeding of the findings and recommendations into a draft National Action Plan and Policy on SGBV which when adopted will improve services and strengthen prevention and protection of survivors. Support to gender responsive budgeting training for all government functionaries and other stakeholders resulted in the development of a Gender Equity Budgeting curriculum intended to harmonise all such training in Uganda. Geographic Coverage: The JPGE is being implemented in ten (10) districts in Uganda: Gulu, Kaabong, Kitgum, Kween, Lira, Masaka, Mbarara, Moroto, Nebbi, and Pallisa (the 11th district is Kyenjojo for the girls Education Movement Project only) Duration: 12th April 2010 - 31st December 2014 Funding: Pass -through funding from the Department for International Development (DFID): US$ 17,151,015 JP Gender Equality Legend Participating Government of Uganda Ministries and Agencies: Geographic Coverage - by JP (2011) MOYO KOBOKOYUMBE MARACHA ARUA ZOMBO KITGUM AMURU PADER GULU OYAM KIRYANDONGO KOTIDO AGAGO ABIM NWOYA NEBBI KAABONG LAMWO ADJUMANI OTUKE KOLE LIRA ALEBTONG AMURIA MOROTO NAPAK DOKOLO KATAKWI NAKAPIRIPIRIT AMUDAT KABERAMAIDOSOROTI AMOLATAR NGORA SERERE KUMI KWEEN NAKASONGOLA BUKEDEA BUYENDE PALLISA BULAMBULI BUKWA KYANKWANZI NAKASEKE SIRONKO KALIRO KIBUKU NTOROKO MBALE KAYUNGAKAMULI KIBAALE BUTALEJA MANAFWA KIBOGA LUWERO LUUKA TORORO IGANGA BUNDIBUGYO KYENJOJO KABAROLE JINJA BUGIRI KYEGEGWA MUBENDE MITYANA WAKISO BUSIA KAMPALA BUIKWE KAMWENGE GOMBABUTAMBALA KASESE MUKONO MPIGI SSEMBABULE IBANDA MAYUGE KALUNGU KIRUHURALYANTONDE RUBIRIZI BUKOMANSIMBI NAMAYINGO BUHWEJU BUVUMA LWENGO BUSHENYI MASAKA MBARARA KALANGALA MITOOMA RUKUNGIRI SHEEMA RAKAI KANUNGU ISINGIRO NTUNGAMO BULIISA APAC MASINDI HOIMA KISOROKABALE 0 45 90 180 Kilometers Management Mechanism: The coordination and management structure includes a Joint Steering Committee at the management level for policy direction; a Gender Reference Group, as the technical advisory body, and composed of heads of UN participating agencies, senior representatives from government sectors (Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, Ministry of Finance Planning and Economic Development and the National Planning Authority), DFID the donor, and UWONET a civil society representative, and five thematic coordination groups by programme outcome; namely Government Capacity Coordination Group, Gender-Based Violence Coordination Group, Girl’s Education Coordination Group, CSO Advocacy and Demand for Accountability, and UN Delivering as One Coordination Group. The main function of the Gender Reference Group is to provide technical guidance and ensure that partners are making progress on the results and milestones outlined in the programme. UN Women is the coordination agency. Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development (MFPED); Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development (MGLSD); National Planning Authority (NPA); Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) Participating UN agencies in Uganda: International Labour Organisation (ILO) United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) United nations Population (UNFPA) United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNOHCHR) United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (UNWOMEN) World Health Organisation (WHO) Participating Civil Society Organisations in Uganda: Uganda Women’s Network (UWONET) Contact Information: United Nations Joint Programme on Gender Equality UN Women (Coordinating and Participating Agency) United Nations Office, Kampala. Plot 11 Yusufu Lule Road, Nakasero Kampala Uganda Telephone: +256 414 233440 Agnes Kisembo Programme Specialist Email: agnes.kisembo@unwomen. org Joint Programme I 2012 2