By witnessradio.org team
Barely two months after bank accounts were frozen, offices raided by police and computers taken, ActionAid Uganda is putting all its energies and resources on tackling social injustices, a new strategic document states.
The five year strategic plan 2018-2022 has come at a time when the country and world at large are facing rising inequality, high youth unemployment, failing economic system and weakening governance institutions at grassroots among others with only one available opportunity of ensuring that the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals are implemented.
In 2015, world leaders unanimously agreed to end diverse challenges facing humanity and planet earth namely poverty, hunger, gender and other forms of inequalities without leaving anyone behind by 2030.
According to Professor Julius Kiiza, a lead consultant on the strategy, the strategy focuses on critical considerations in advancing the social justice agenda in Uganda. “The strategy seeks to ensure equality of all human beings, there should be no racial, cultural, or disparities in income, the slogan is all is not well until all are well…”Kiiza emphasized.
He said, there’s an urgent need to focus on leadership and economic opportunities for young people, promoting women’s rights and gender equality through ensuring women access to social justice, community resilience to climate change and people’s action for Democratic governance.
However, with the continued shrinking civic space for NGOs, one wonders whether ActionAid will deliver on its promises. Nicolas Opiyo, the in-coming chairperson Boad for ActionAid Uganda challenged government to justify its decision to block its accounts or free them.
Opiyo said that government has never given them an official report on why their offices were raided and accounts frozen. “our work is very clear, we have nothing to hide, all our funders are known and the projects we run, it’s unfortunate that two months down the road, nothing has been done” the civil liberties lawyer wondered.
He says that ActionAid is not fighting government and appeals for cooperation between the two entities.
He however, says that they will continue to use all the necessary avenues to make sure that their work is not crippled.
Speaking at the same function, high court Judge David Batema appealed to civil society organizations to always work with government in improving lives other than fighting it.
He says in cases of a deadlock, members of civil society should engage government and negotiate their way out instead of fighting it head on.
“I know there are times when you fail to agree with government, don’t say come what may, we will go on, please negotiate the bend, that is now civil society works”. Batema advised.
The executive director ActionAid Uganda, Arthur Larok says the plan will guide them in their quest to change lives especially ensuring social justice.
