Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper UGANDA’S POVERTY ERADICATION ACTION PLAN SUMMARY AND MAIN OBJECTIVES

Poverty Eradication Action Plan (2004/5-2007/8)

Republic of Uganda
http://www.statehouse.go.ug/

Parliament of Uganda
http://www.parliament.go.ug/

The Parliament of Uganda joined the APRN in 2004 and MPs, parliamentary staff and representatives have since taken part of various training sessions on Community Monitoring of Poverty.

In Uganda, the community monitoring pilot project took place in the Lira District, an area of Uganda that has been strongly affected by the conflict with the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) led the pilot project with the intent of assessing the accessibility of HIV/AIDS funds by the poor. The survey found that awareness of HIV/AIDS in the Lira District is very high, as a result of many being infected or affected by the disease. However, this has not translated into behavioural change.

During the pilot project, many MPs visited the Lira District for the first time. This enabled them to get a greater understanding of the social conditions and challenges the people in the district face. This has facilitated advocacy in parliament on behalf of the people living in the camps and displaced by the conflict. The success of the pilot project has prompted the Ugandan Parliament to develop strategies to institutionalize public and social accountability tools.

For more information on the pilot project, please contact: Ms. Ruth Byoona, Clerk Assistant: rebyoona@hotmail.com Mr. Alex Obatre, Clerk Assistant: aobatre@yahoo.com

Official name Republic of Uganda Population 28,2 million (2006) Capital Kampala Type of legislature Unicameral Women in Parliament 29.8% (2006) Major languages English (official), several local and regional languages of which Ganda or Luganda and Swahili are the most spoken % of population below poverty line 35% (2001 est.) HIV-AIDS prevalence 4.1% (2003 est.) Literacy rate male: 79.5% female: 60.4% (2003 est.) GDP per capita $1,800 (2006 est.) HDI 2006 0.502, ranks 145 out of 177 countries