About this work
The idea of an Annual National Conference on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights was born in 2014, at the behest of Government processes that flagged the need for constitutional reforms. The Conference was at the time conceived as a forum to advocate for the inclusion of economic, social and cultural rights in the Constitution. The founder conveners of the Conference included the Initiative for Social and Economic Rights (ISER), the Center for Health, Human Rights and Development (CEHURD), the Human Rights Network Uganda (HURINET) and the Public Interest Law Clinic (PILAC) of the School of Law, Makerere. However, several other organisations have partnered with ISER to co-host the event over the years, and these include, the Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC), Global Rights Alert, the Uganda Consortium on Corporate Accountability (UCCA), Food Rights Alliance (FRA), Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC), Strengthening Human Rights Research and Education in Sub-Saharan Africa (SHUREA), Legal Aid Service Providers Network (LASPNET), and FIDA Uganda.
The Conference has tackled various aspects on economic, social and cultural rights under the themes;
- 2014 – the question of the justifiability of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ESCRs) took center stage
- 2015 – Tackling Social Exclusion in Access to Social-Economic Goods and Services for Sustainable Development
- 2016 – Business and Human Rights in Uganda: Accountability versus Social Responsibility for corporate abuses
- 2017 – Local Government and Service Delivery in Uganda: Achievements, Challenges and the Way Forward
- 2018 – Leaving No One Behind: Leveraging SDGs to realize Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ESCRs)
- 2019 – Strengthening Access to Justice for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ESCRs)
- 2020 – Election Promises, Political Accountability and Service Delivery; A Reality Check
- 2021 – Reclaiming Public Services for Inclusive and Sustainable Socio-economic Recovery after Covid 19
- 2022 – Financing a Just and Inclusive Recovery
