Promoting Good Governance and Gender Accountability at the Local Government Level

As ACFODE positions itself to be a leading advocate for good governance and gender equality in Uganda, more approaches are being employed to ensure that women are even very opportunity to fully enjoy their rights. One of the approaches the organization has adopted is to work with district local councils, the citizenry, and community based CSOs working on issues of good governance and gender accountability in Uganda; not only during the elections' period, but even before and after.

Consequently, between the 25th and the 30^th of June 2012, ACFODE conducted a training for 59 (26 female and 33 male) district councilors from three districts in Lango sub region (Kole, Oyam and Apac) on Good Governance and Gender Accountability.

The training was one of the activities that fall under Diakonia's 3 year funded project "Promoting Good Governance and Gender Accountability at Local Government level in Lango Sub region in Northern Uganda."  

Specific objectives of the training were; to enhance the capacity of elected leaders on good governance and gender accountability; to raise awareness about the roles and responsibilities of elected leaders; and to promote appreciation of gender and accountability amongst elected leaders.

A plenary discussions during the Councillors' training in Apac

By the end of the workshop;

• Councillors had got a deeper understanding of their roles and responsibilities as elected leaders in promoting good governance and gender accountability.
• Participants appreciated the training and felt; it had opened up their minds to appreciate gender accountability. One of the participants noted that; "I feel this is the first training that has enabled me to appreciate my role in promoting gender accountability at the council" – Akena Patrick Rolex, Councillor – Oyam District."
• There was identification of gender issues in the three districts: For example: Kole raised a concern of high school dropout and illiteracy levels as one of the factors limiting effective participation (men and women) in all spheres of life. In Oyam and Apac, the limited capacity of councillors in understanding genders issues was attributed as the major cause of gender blind plans and budgets.
•  There was also identification of human rights concerns in the region for example: defilement, inadequate health facilities, gender based violence, increasing number of child parents, child neglect and limited access to public information by the people at the grass root.
• Councillors committed to undertake gender budgeting and gender main-streaming in Council plans and ordinances, empower fellow leaders to assess and analyse implications of policies and ordinance passed, promote participatory planning, budgeting, implementation and monitoring of district development plans with electorates. 

The above action plans will be used by ACFODE, the trained councilors and the electorate to inform and monitor project implementation.

 

Immaculate Agedo

Program Officer

Governance and Human Rights

Action For Development

Email: agedo@acfode.org