Uganda Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Factsheets 2022
| Right to Health | |
| Right to Education | |
| Business and Human Rights | |
| Poverty, economic inclusion and fiscal policy |
Ahead of Uganda’s third UPR cycle review on 27 January 2022, ISER coordinated the submission of a joint civil society report on economic, social rights issues endorsed by 54 organisations and a report on Covid 19 and ESCRs. These four fact sheets on Health, Education, Business and Human rights, Poverty, Economic Inclusion and Fiscal Policy accompany these submissions. The fact sheets highlight recommendations we thought could be prioritized during Uganda’s upcoming Universal Periodic Review in January and provide an overview on what government has been able to do in terms of progress on prior recommendations, identify gaps.
The Covid 19 pandemic has underscored why the country must pay greater attention to economic social rights, particularly strengthening public social serviceslike health and education The country has had an education crisis during the last two years and the public health sector was overwhelmed with an oxygen crisis both a result of chronic under financing over the years and poor stewardship. Vulnerable groups like women, the poor, persons with disabilities have been disproportionately affected by the gaps in public social services. Amidst rising poverty, social protection and economic inclusion is increasingly important yet social protection has been underfunded and piecemeal. The requirement for digital ID to access social protection or social services has resulted in exclusion, particularly for those in extreme poverty. Without a strong legal and regulatory framework businesses continue to violate human rights ranging from not seeking free, prior and informed consent of affected communities before their investment projects, child labour to violating rights like health in the midst of a pandemic We hope to see strong recommendations that could aid our advocacy on the ground.
Uganda has undergone two prior UPR reviews in 2011 and 2016. During the last UPR, Uganda received 226 recommendations, 148 were accepted by the government and 78 were noted. Among the issues that came under the spotlight during Uganda’s second UPR in Geneva was the country’s progress in realizing economic and social rights over the past five years. Despite the Government’s commitment to the SDGs and the ethos of leaving no one behind, the realisation of socio-economic rights remains a challenge, especially for the poor, vulnerable and marginalised groups. ISER worked closely with different government Ministries Departments and Agencies and civil society to monitor implementation of economic social rights recommendations. ISER worked with government to develop an Economic Social and Cultural Rights matrix which contained strategies to implement recommendations including indicators that harmonized with the SDGs.