FOWODEE-NEWSJULY-SEPTEMBER 2012, ISSUE 5

FOWODE CONGRATULATES ALL UGANDANS ON THE

50TH INDEPENDENCE JUBILEE

G Gender concerns in the oil bills

F Female MPs Seek Gender inclusion in district budgets

Civil Society Position on the Public Finance Bill 2012

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

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Forum for Women in Democracy (FOWODE)is a non-partisan national women’s organization.

Vision: A just and fair society where women and men equally participate in and benefit from decision-making processes.

Mission: To promote gender equality in all areas of decision-making through advocacy, training, research, and publications

F O R U M F O R WOMEN

IN DEMOCRACY

I have never been particularly interested in politics or the democratic process, but seeing the villagers come together to fight for themselves has inspired me to be more involved as well.

The community members seemed to be taking charge of the clubs and their mission themselves and I think this is what will keep this program going far into the future. They are pushing to get more training so they can train others. Their ideas about financially sustaining themselves are ingenious. The VBC program is innovative, and more than that, it is effectively furthering FOWODE’s mission of promoting women’s participation in democratic processes and making governments accountable.

My internship coincided with FOWODE’s Leadership building Camp. I was instantly impressed with the professionalism of the young women as they gave speeches and seemed to be genuinely working to learn the concepts presented for the day.

My time at FOWODE was eye opening. Being able to learn about how they are engaging in women’s issues in Uganda also helped me to look at Uganda’s culture and traditions, not just from a feminist or American lens, but from a humanistic one. I got to spend time with the staff that explained the culture to me and shed light on some of the differences in Uganda that I did not previously understand. Although the programs are amazing, FOWODE’s staff is really the greatest asset. They are dedicated to the women’s movement; it was apparent in the way they talked about their projects and where they wanted to see the organization go in the future.

I got a feel for what it would be like to work for a non-profit organization

The budget speech was really interesting and informative for me. It helped me learn and think so much about how Uganda does development and where FOWODE fits into that scheme. Many people in the U.S. think that if Uganda needs help, they need food, clothes and mosquito nets. If someone asked me now, I would say Uganda is striving to create more infrastructure, better education and healthcare for its citizens, and better working government officials. By infrastructure, I mean roads, access to clean water, access to loans, and systems to check and balance those in positions of power. That budget speech helped me think about things more deeply, such as, “Yes, growing more tea for export will bring in more for the gross national product, but people also need to keep growing food to feed the population.” Or “Taxing alcohol does raise money for the government, but how will that negatively impact rural farmers who grow the products that make the alcohol?” Not to mention that government was to raise the tax on cosmetics, which seems trivial, until you realize that these taxes only impact women, who are expected to wear makeup in the workplace.

Whereas in Uganda issues, such as better roads, seem to be constantly on the budget, year after year without improvement, America seems to flip flop continually about what projects are important. One day insurance companies are mandated to cover birth control; the next Planned Parenthood is getting defunded entirely. Although we were included in many staff meetings, the big budget meeting was the most insightful for me as an outsider in Uganda. I got to see in detail how the government makes priorities. It was also really great for Julius Mukunda, the FOWODE Senior Program Director to come speak with us after the budget was announced to explain things and answer questions.

My time in the field was the highlight of my internship;it was an invaluable experience. I visited Kibaale district one of the districts where FOWODE implements her programs. I was able to see a different side of Uganda than the busy city of Kampala. I got to see the road conditions for myself; only then could I really understand what the grassroots Village Budget Clubs that FOWODE supports were up against, and how their struggle with infrastructure issues really affects their lives on a daily basis. Even after all of my research, I only had a true picture of the clubs after I visited a group of them and was able to watch the process unfold. I will say again how impressive this program is, and how impassioned the participants are. Not only do the VBCs bring real, measurable changes to the community and government, but

My Internship Experience at FOWODEIn July 2012, FOWODE received interns from Purdue University who had come to acquire hands- on experience with FOWODE’s work of promoting gender equality in decision making. In their three weeks period each of the interns got a chance to experience the working environment in Uganda both at the national level and at the grassroots. In this article Trinity Overmyer shares her three weeks’ internship experiences and how it impacted on her.

I relay my experience with FOWODE projects during a three-week internship in July 2012 and how they fit into the greater mission of this organization, as well as how these assignments and experiences relate to where FOWODE is moving in the future.

During this period I attended a joint listening in of the 2012/13 national budget speech that was organized by FOWODE for various civil society organizations. I found it interesting that so many NGOs gather to listen and discuss

“Many people in the U.S. think that if Uganda needs help, they need food,

clothes and mosquito nets. If someone asked me now, I would say Uganda is striving to create more infrastructure, better education and healthcare for its

citizens and better working government

Trinity Overmyer, during a field trip in FOWODE’s districts of operation.

Left: Lauren Coleman with VBC members in Gulu district

Below: Racheal Tobias dancing with community members in Kabale district

FOWODE E-NEWSLETTER 2

The VBC member below displaying the child health cards which the mothers had bought .

Community group mediates on illegal healthcare payments

With that assurance, the members then contacted the in charge of Kisiita Health Center to explain why they make women pay for free government services. In response, the in charge stated that although this was a common practice at the heath center, it was never endorsed by authorities of the health center. He further noted that staff collected money from patients but never declared it to the authorities. In order to resolve this issue, the Village Budget Club membersquickly organized a meeting with the personnel at the health center and two resolutions were made in this meeting. One was that the health center immediately stops charging these illegal fees so that every woman and child visiting this health center receives free health services

Mother’s registering with VBC members to claim the money paid for an immunisation card from the Health centre personell.

Village budget club members in Kisiita Sub County in Kibaale stopped illegal payments made at Kisiita Health Center III for antenatal cards, child immunization cards and family planning servicesIn September 2012, Kisiita Village budget club members a grassroots community group mobilized by FOWODE to monitor service delivery for improved gender accountability monitored Kisiita Health Centre III to examine the quality of service delivery. Being an immunization day, the center was busy; however they met the health center personnel and also held discussions with patients to review their levels of satisfaction with the services provided at this Health Center. During these interactions the club members learnt that women in this community always pay a fee to acquire child immunization cards, antenatal cards and family planning services. In fact on this very day, many mothers had been turned away and their children had not been immunized because they did not have Ugshs 1000 for an immunization card. This forced the members to immediately contact the Kibaale District Health Officer who affirmed that such payments are unauthorized because these are free government services

i.e. immunization, antenatal care and family planning services. The other resolution was to refund money to all women who had paid for the immunization cards that day, even those who had earlier been denied the service were called back and their children were immunized. A formal report on this incident was subsequently presented to the Kibaale District Health Officer by the village budget club members urging his office to intervene. They made three follow up visits to assess if changes were being implemented. On the first visit the women complained they were being neglected by health personnel, this necessitated the Village budget club members to approach the sub county chief asking him to talk to the health center personnel about their conduct. By the third follow up visit there were more than 90 clients who had brought their children for immunization, no mother had paid any money and the personnel were working well. An official response is yet to be presented to the Village budget club members from the District Health Officer but the change witnessed at the health center where women and children access free health services suggests that district and subcounty leadership took action on the concerns of the community presented by village budget club members. As told by TinnerAreeba, FOWODE Field Officer Kibaale District.

FACT:Women in Uganda when pregnant are required to have an antenatal card, which contains proof that a physician has seen them throughout their pregnancy.

The budget speech was really interesting and informative for me. It helped me learn and think so much about how Uganda does development and where FOWODE fits into that scheme. Many people in the U.S. think that if Uganda needs help, they need food, clothes and mosquito nets. If someone asked me now, I would say Uganda is striving to create more infrastructure, better education and healthcare for its citizens, and better working government officials. By infrastructure, I mean roads, access to clean water, access to loans, and systems to check and balance those in positions of power. That budget speech helped me think about things more deeply, such as, “Yes, growing more tea for export will bring in more for the gross national product, but people also need to keep growing food to feed the population.” Or “Taxing alcohol does raise money for the government, but how will that negatively impact rural farmers who grow the products that make the alcohol?” Not to mention that government was to raise the tax on cosmetics, which seems trivial, until you realize that these taxes only impact women, who are expected to wear makeup in the workplace.

Whereas in Uganda issues, such as better roads, seem to be constantly on the budget, year after year without improvement, America seems to flip flop continually about what projects are important. One day insurance companies are mandated to cover birth control; the next Planned Parenthood is getting defunded entirely. Although we were included in many staff meetings, the big budget meeting was the most insightful for me as an outsider in Uganda. I got to see in detail how the government makes priorities. It was also really great for Julius Mukunda, the FOWODE Senior Program Director to come speak with us after the budget was announced to explain things and answer questions.

My time in the field was the highlight of my internship;it was an invaluable experience. I visited Kibaale district one of the districts where FOWODE implements her programs. I was able to see a different side of Uganda than the busy city of Kampala. I got to see the road conditions for myself; only then could I really understand what the grassroots Village Budget Clubs that FOWODE supports were up against, and how their struggle with infrastructure issues really affects their lives on a daily basis. Even after all of my research, I only had a true picture of the clubs after I visited a group of them and was able to watch the process unfold. I will say again how impressive this program is, and how impassioned the participants are. Not only do the VBCs bring real, measurable changes to the community and government, but

“Pregnant women were required to pay Ugshs 500 for an

antenatal card while those who brought children were required to pay Ugshs 1000 for a child

immunization card’

FOWODE E-NEWSLETTER 3

The Gender Concerns in the Petroleum Sector management bills

Forum for Women in Democracy commissioned a gender audit to ensure that the rights of women and men are equally protected and ultimately all people of Uganda are able to enjoy the benefits accruing from the exploration, development and production of oil and gas in Uganda without subjection to any form of discrimination. The audit highlights the key gender issues and gaps in the 2 bills and gives recommendations to improve the bills for the equal benefit of all.

Land ownership and Petroleum rights,FOWODE recommends that Section 5 of Bill 1 should be aligned with Article 237 of the Constitution of Uganda which states that “Land in Uganda belongs to the citizens of Uganda and shall vest in them in accordance with the land tenure systems provided for by law.” This means that government shall exercise petroleum rights on the land on behalf of the citizens of Uganda for their full benefit. Therefore, that part of the provision which refers to “.... held on behalf of the Republic of Uganda” should be replaced with “... held on behalf of the citizens of Uganda.”

Appointment of the Board of Directors for the Petroleum Authority

Bill No. 1 authorizes the Minister of Petroleum to appoint the Board of Directorsand the members with the approval of the Cabinet. In order to achieve this goal and to have a more objective process of appointment for the members of the Board, it is proposed that the Minister appoints the members with the endorsement of Cabinet and approval of Parliament. It’s also important that oversight role of the National Assembly in the Petroleum sector is entrenched in the 2 bills to scrutinize key appointments in the sector.

Although Section 18 (3) provides for at least two women to be on the Board, it is recommended that the provision should be to have at least 3 competent female members since Uganda today is aiming at realizing gender parity in all decision making structures and public bodies.

It is further recommended that Section 18 (5) which outlines the proven experience for the members of the Board should include experience in undertaking gender analysis, planning and programming.

of the performance of the petroleum sector indicating actions taken to deliver on various commitments of government to the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of women in the area of education and training;

and decision making etc as required under the National Development Plan, Uganda’s Vision 2025, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and key human rights instruments signedat regional and international level.

The National Oil CompanyThere is no provision in The Bill No. 1 which linkstheNational Oil Company to the Authority. For purposes of protecting the interests of the State and the shareholders – majority of whom should be Ugandans – the Authority should have powers to check and ensure that the operators of the company promote the principles of equality, equity, fair competition and non- discrimination

Opening up of new areas for petroleum activitiesWhen assessing the impact of petroleum activities in new potential areas for licensing are undertaken. It is recommended that such assessments should take into account gender considerations and analyse the differentiated impact on men and women in the areas and the implications the activities will have on their health, food security, and a whole range of human rights.

Given that Sections 48 of Bill No. 1 and Section 12 (2) (d) of Bill No. 2, give the public, interested parties and those who will be most affected a right to share their views in writing with the Minister. It is recommended that information on the impact assessments should be provided in appropriate formats that make it accessible to different categories of people and population groups. The law should obligate the Minister to collect views of the people and communities that are mentioned in the impact assessment reports as the most vulnerable. This is to ensure that the processes of collecting views are inclusive of both men and women in the communities that will be most affected

The increasing public awareness of the economic potential of the discovery and exploration of oil and gas in Uganda led to the adoption of the National Oil and Gas Policy in Uganda in 2008. The Policy provides for passing of appropriate laws to give effect to Article 244 of the Constitution of Uganda and to

Section 25 authorizes the Board to appoint Committees to which it can forward any matter for scrutiny and deliberation. The principle of equal opportunity for men and women should be upheld under Section 31 which provides for the appointment of staff and other officers of the Authority and Affirmative action measures should be undertaken where necessary to ensure equality of opportunity for employment within the Authority particularly at decision making levels.

Functions of the AuthorityOne of the functions of the Authority articulated under Section 11 (2) (i) is to ensure that licensees uphold laws, regulations, rules and contract terms. This should be interpreted to include adherence to laws, regulations and rules that enable the government of Uganda to meet its commitments to gender equality and women’s empowerment through the operations of the Petroleum Sector.

In fulfilling its functions of protecting the health and safety of workers and the public, the Authority should take into account the differentiated impact of petroleum activities on the health and safety of women and men and also children. Monitoring the impact on different population groups and workers with special needs like pregnant women or breastfeeding mothers would enable the Authority to develop appropriate regulations as well as give directions to Licensees on such actions to take to secure the health and safety of such workers.

Powers of the MinisterThe Minister has power under Section 14 of Bill No.1to give directions to the Authority and such directionshave to be gazetted. To avoid abuse of power in the office of the Minister in charge of Petroleum and to secure the independence of the Authority in its operations as provided for in Section 15 of the Bill, a schedule should be included in the Bill to indicate specific areas where the Minister can give such directions. The specific areas in this case should include possible directions intended to promote equal opportunities for men and women in the petroleum sector.

Board Annual ReportUnder Section 42, the Board of Directors is required to present an annual report to the Minister who subsequently submits it to Parliament. It is recommended to make it

FACT:Government tabled two bills before the 9th Parliament of Uganda in February 2012 namely the:1. Petroleum (Exploration, Development and Production) Bill of 2012

(Bill No. 1); and2. Petroleum (Refining, Gas processing and Conversion, Transportation

and Storage) Bill, 2012 (Bill No.2).employment; access to information and other productive resources; leadership

FOWODE E-NEWSLETTER 4

Citizen Participation and access to informationIn order for citizens to participate effectivelyand make informed decisions, there is need for a mechanism to make information available and accessible to different population groups so as to raise people’s awareness and consciousness about activities in the Petroleum Sector. There is also need to take into account their different roles, capacities, levels of education and exposure and their vulnerability to the impact of the petroleum activities on their health, safety and livelihoods.

The displacement of persons/ communities/ acquisition of LandMajority of women do not own land (titled land) but have interests in the land they use for agricultural production or for matrimonial purposes. These interests have to be protected by law and where compensation is to be made the interests of women have to be assessed and duly compensated. In case of government acquisition of land on which the owners have a matrimonial home, the man and woman have to be fully informed and both of them involved in the process leading to the compensation or resettlement. Women in most rural communities in Uganda have access to land through their spouses or male family members. These realities should be taken into account when compensation and resettlement decisions are being made.

Female headed households must be recognized in their own right and their interests in land acquired by government for purposes of oil and gas exploration, development and production or other midstream activities regulated under Bill No. 2 are fully compensated without prejudice to their status. Single women and men as well as widows and widowers should be allocated land for resettlement in their own right. Government has to interpret carefully the provisions on compensation for land taken up for oil and gas exploration to ensure that women and children in polygamous union are not disadvantaged.

Labour issuesBill No.1 makes provision for the establishment of the Petroleum Authority in Uganda. The law should oblige the staff of the Authority to promote equal opportunities for men and women in the sector. Compliance with labour laws is critical to ensure that the right to equal pay for men and women for work of equal value is upheld by all key stakeholders in the sector. The Authority should have a strong Inspectorate to ensure that licensees do not exploit workers especially those in the lower

Gender issues and gaps in the Petroleum (Refining, Gas Processing and Conversion, Transportation and Storage) Bill (Bill No.2)Submission of an application for a licenseThe regulations on the application for a license under Section 9 of Bill No. 2 should place an obligation on the Minister and the Authority to take into account gender issues right from the time of assessing the applications for a license to operate in midstream petroleum activities. This will give the government of Uganda an opportune moment to set standards to be met by all applicants in order to achieve specific gender targets and commitments to ensure that the application processes are gender responsive.

In the Regulations that are to be developed by the Minister under Bill No. 2 as provided for under Section 10 (1), the requirements to specify gender mainstreaming targets as part of the plans of the applicants should be included.

It is also important for the applicants to indicate in more specific terms the benefits that will accrue to women and men as a result of their operations in this sector. For example they should indicate their Corporate Social Responsibility Strategy and how it will benefit different population groups in the communities where their operations will be based.

As part of government’s obligation to fulfill the citizen’s right to information speculated Under Section 12, it should be included in the Regulations that the Minister and Authority shall use community based approaches to get information to the different categories of affected people and communities and ensure that they are involved in this process. This should be done in addition to publishing the notice in the official gazette and in a newspaper with wide circulation. The Petroleum sector being quite technical the obligation placed on government, the Authority and Ministry concerned is quite high to ensure that no person is disadvantaged due to use of gender blind approaches in implementing the provisions of the Oil and Gas Policy as well as the Petroleum Bills.

Forum for Women in Democracy commissioned a gender audit to ensure that the rights of women and men are equally protected and ultimately all people of Uganda are able to enjoy the benefits accruing from the exploration, development and production of oil and gas in Uganda without subjection to any form of discrimination. The audit highlights the key gender issues and gaps in the 2 bills and gives recommendations to improve the bills for the equal benefit of all.

Land ownership and Petroleum rights,FOWODE recommends that Section 5 of Bill 1 should be aligned with Article 237 of the Constitution of Uganda which states that “Land in Uganda belongs to the citizens of Uganda and shall vest in them in accordance with the land tenure systems provided for by law.” This means that government shall exercise petroleum rights on the land on behalf of the citizens of Uganda for their full benefit. Therefore, that part of the provision which refers to “.... held on behalf of the Republic of Uganda” should be replaced with “... held on behalf of the citizens of Uganda.”

Appointment of the Board of Directors for the Petroleum Authority

Bill No. 1 authorizes the Minister of Petroleum to appoint the Board of Directorsand the members with the approval of the Cabinet. In order to achieve this goal and to have a more objective process of appointment for the members of the Board, it is proposed that the Minister appoints the members with the endorsement of Cabinet and approval of Parliament. It’s also important that oversight role of the National Assembly in the Petroleum sector is entrenched in the 2 bills to scrutinize key appointments in the sector.

Although Section 18 (3) provides for at least two women to be on the Board, it is recommended that the provision should be to have at least 3 competent female members since Uganda today is aiming at realizing gender parity in all decision making structures and public bodies.

It is further recommended that Section 18 (5) which outlines the proven experience for the members of the Board should include experience in undertaking gender analysis, planning and programming.

of the performance of the petroleum sector indicating actions taken to deliver on various commitments of government to the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of women in the area of education and training;

and decision making etc as required under the National Development Plan, Uganda’s Vision 2025, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and key human rights instruments signedat regional and international level.

The National Oil CompanyThere is no provision in The Bill No. 1 which linkstheNational Oil Company to the Authority. For purposes of protecting the interests of the State and the shareholders – majority of whom should be Ugandans – the Authority should have powers to check and ensure that the operators of the company promote the principles of equality, equity, fair competition and non- discrimination

Opening up of new areas for petroleum activitiesWhen assessing the impact of petroleum activities in new potential areas for licensing are undertaken. It is recommended that such assessments should take into account gender considerations and analyse the differentiated impact on men and women in the areas and the implications the activities will have on their health, food security, and a whole range of human rights.

Given that Sections 48 of Bill No. 1 and Section 12 (2) (d) of Bill No. 2, give the public, interested parties and those who will be most affected a right to share their views in writing with the Minister. It is recommended that information on the impact assessments should be provided in appropriate formats that make it accessible to different categories of people and population groups. The law should obligate the Minister to collect views of the people and communities that are mentioned in the impact assessment reports as the most vulnerable. This is to ensure that the processes of collecting views are inclusive of both men and women in the communities that will be most affected

Section 25 authorizes the Board to appoint Committees to which it can forward any matter for scrutiny and deliberation. The principle of equal opportunity for men and women should be upheld under Section 31 which provides for the appointment of staff and other officers of the Authority and Affirmative action measures should be undertaken where necessary to ensure equality of opportunity for employment within the Authority particularly at decision making levels.

Functions of the AuthorityOne of the functions of the Authority articulated under Section 11 (2) (i) is to ensure that licensees uphold laws, regulations, rules and contract terms. This should be interpreted to include adherence to laws, regulations and rules that enable the government of Uganda to meet its commitments to gender equality and women’s empowerment through the operations of the Petroleum Sector.

In fulfilling its functions of protecting the health and safety of workers and the public, the Authority should take into account the differentiated impact of petroleum activities on the health and safety of women and men and also children. Monitoring the impact on different population groups and workers with special needs like pregnant women or breastfeeding mothers would enable the Authority to develop appropriate regulations as well as give directions to Licensees on such actions to take to secure the health and safety of such workers.

Powers of the MinisterThe Minister has power under Section 14 of Bill No.1to give directions to the Authority and such directionshave to be gazetted. To avoid abuse of power in the office of the Minister in charge of Petroleum and to secure the independence of the Authority in its operations as provided for in Section 15 of the Bill, a schedule should be included in the Bill to indicate specific areas where the Minister can give such directions. The specific areas in this case should include possible directions intended to promote equal opportunities for men and women in the petroleum sector.

Board Annual ReportUnder Section 42, the Board of Directors is required to present an annual report to the Minister who subsequently submits it to Parliament. It is recommended to make it

The Gender Concerns continued….

FOWODE E-NEWSLETTER 5

cadre of employment in the Petroleum sector who will most likely be women. The rights of workers in the sector should be protected from the onset and licensees in breach of labour laws should be duly directed to comply or face the consequences of the law.

Oil and gas exploration, development and production plus the midstream activities is male dominated. Thus it is imperative that government sets clear equity principles to address the need for women and men to access employment in this sector. With the support of women to access higher education at university level and scholarships for those taking science based disciplines, there should be a deliberate effort to get more female students in courses relevant to the petroleum sector in order to make them competitive. Technical training should target both men and women and this should be the standard policy in the Authority and also directed by the Authority for all licensees.

It is prudent that Oil companies bidding for contracts to sign a statement of commitment to gender equity and also incorporate commitment to gender and equality as criterion for equality criterion for scoring bids on oil operations that are put to public tender. In addition, it would be worthwhile to integrate gender equity outcomes with key milestones in the overall human resource plan for the Authority and the licensees. This would build into women’s benefit plans, quantifiable training and employment outcomes.

Childcare for women working in the sectorAll licensees should have employment policies that enable male and female employees to have a well-balanced life - work and social life balance. The right to maternity and paternity leave should be protected and the minimum standards articulated in the Employment Act of 2006 adhered to including the maximum hours of work. Most working places of the Companies engaged in oil and gas exploitation are far from other essential service centres. Therefore, child care facilities should be provided as a standard requirement for any licensee.

Monitoring and EvaluationThe Authority should ensure that the mechanisms for monitoring and evaluation the petroleum sector enables both women and men to participate by taking into account their differences in roles, capacity to engage and the extent of the impact on their lives and public interests. The Regulations developed under the two Bills should facilitate the Authority to fulfill this obligation.

.

The two bills have been in Uganda’s Natural Resources Parliamentary Committee which has also been receiving submissions from different

stakeholders including FOWODE

“It is Crucial that every bill tabled in Parliament is

subjected to a Gender Audit”

Julius Mukunda, FOWODE Senior Program Director during the CSBAG Training.

FOWODE on behalf of the Civil Society Budget Advocacy Group (CSBAG) conducted capacity building trainings for CSBAG members from Kampala, Pallisa and Soroti districts in gender responsive budgeting and budget tracking for the agriculture sector. Participants were taken through; the Local Government budget cycle, how to analyze gender issues in the agriculture sector, rights based approach to public service delivery in relation to the agriculture sector, budget concepts as well as the Public Expenditure Tracking [PETS] tools for agriculture.

Training in Gender responsive budgeting and resource tracking for the Agriculture sector NEWS IN SUMMARY

Launching 89.5 SPEAK FM in Gulu

Rt. Hon. Speaker of Parliament of Uganda, FOWODE Board members during the launch of the 89.5 SPEAK FM in GuluTo mark its 1 year anniversary, 89.5 SPEAK FM in Gulu a radio station affiliated to Forum for Women in Democracy was officially launched by Rt. Honorable Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga, the Speaker of the Parliament of Uganda. The launch was preceded by cleaning of Gulu town by FOWODE and 89.5 Speak FM and road drives around Gulu town.

ABOVE: FOWODE board and staff as well as 89.5 SPEAK FM staff teamed up to clean Gulu Town before the launch of the radio

BELOW:Patricia MunabiBabiiha, the FOWODE ED, addressing the audience in Gulu during the launch of 89.5 SPEAK FM in Gulu

LAUNCH OF 89.5 SPEAK FM IN PICTURES

FOWODE E-NEWSLETTER 6

ABOVE :FOWODE Board members, 89.5 SPEAK FM Staff with the Chief Guest Rt. Hon. Rebecca Kadaga 89.5 at SPEAK FM Radio in Gulu

RIGHT: 89.5 Speak FM Staff entertaining the crowd during the launch of the radio in Gulu

ABOVE: FOWODE Staff hosted in the 89.5 SPEAK FM studios

LEFT: Hon. Santa the Chief Walker leads the walk in Gulu Town

Key stakeholders from across Africa convened in Sierra Leone in September 2012 for a consultative meeting on the joint program initiative of Gender Equitable Local Development (GELD). The meeting held under the theme “Fostering Gender Equitable Local Development in Eradicating Poverty in West Africa” was an opportunity to mobilize action for women’s empowerment through continued investment in gender equitable planning, and renewed institutional commitments to raising the gender equality agenda in decentralization systems in West Africa. In this meeting, Patricia Munabi the Executive Director for Forum for Women in Democracy shared the organization’s experiences and evidence that developing women’s skills increases both their participation in decision-making processes and access to resources which further enhances gender equality and social justice. The key outcome of this meeting was a common agenda through which participating governments and organizations can use the Gender Equitable Local Development model to meet women’s priorities in local development planning.

Moving gender equality to the forefront of local development interventions in Africa

FOWODE embarked on a process of developing a new strategic plan to guide her actions for the next strategic period 2012/17

Developing FOWODE’s new strategic Plan

Training of Women Councilors in Gender Based Violence

FOWODE conducted trainings on Gender based violence in Lira, Nebbi, Pallisa, Kween, Kitgum, Gulu, Masaka, and Mbarara districts in July and August 2012. The training was empowering especially on the aspect of gender based violence. Several women councilors shared that engagement on this particular topic was indeed new to them as it opened their eyes to the reality of the challenges within their communities. The trainings triggered the councilors into action with the formation of women caucuses and action plans. It is hoped that the trainings will yield fruitful results with regard to the councilors’ ability to effectively legislate in the councils and play a significant role in the control of gender based violence.

Female MPs seek gender inclusion in district budgets

IN SUMMARY:THE APPEAL: Women legislators have recommended an increase in the budget allocation by government to finance gender activities at the district level as a way of checking gender inequalities .

MP Rosemary Nyakikongoro (R) consults fellow legislators, NamukwayaBugembe (C) and Evelyn Kabule (L) recently. Women legislators have asked government to allocate more resources to the districts to finance gender activities as a way of checking gender inequalities. PHOTO BY GEOFFREY SSERUYANGE , Daily Monitor

Women’s Conference during the Farm Power Week

Hon. Sarah Kataike and Hon. Jacqueline Amongin during the Farm power Women’s Conference

In partnership with other key stakeholders, FOWODE under the Food Rights Alliance, as part of its efforts to amplify the voice of smallholder farmers, organized a dialogue which provided a platform for women farmers to share and learn together with the policy makers on the challenges they face in food production. As a key outcome from this engagement, a women farmers’ statement of action was produced and presented to policy makers during the National farmers Forum by a woman farmer. FOWODE E-NEWSLETTER

7

Civil Society Position on the Public Finance Bill 2012

In order to strengthen the public financial management and regulating revenue management in the oil sector, the Public Finance Bill 2012 was drafted and tabled in Parliament. If enacted, the Bill 2012 will repeal the Public Finance and Accountability Act 2003 and the Budget Act 2001. While the proposed bill offers a great benchmark for remarkable public financial management, a number of concerns as highlighted below have arisen that the Civil Society Budget Advocacy Group deems critical.

Addressing gender and equity issues Although it is the duty of Parliament to ensure that all government activities address gender inequality, there is no mechanism or system and structure in Parliament to make government accountable to gender equality. For Parliament to take its central role in promoting gender equality we propose that before parliament debates the annual budget, a certificate of gender equity should be produced by the Equal opportunities Commission (EOC) as a recommendation to Parliament demonstrating how adequately a particular MDA’s plans and budgets address gender equity issues. This will inform parliament on whether or not an MDA’s Plans and Budget should be debated by Parliament.

Charter of Fiscal Responsibility (CFR)The Charter of Fiscal Responsibility offers measurable objectives against which the minister of finance and government can be held accountable. However, having expended resources to enact the National Development Plan which has not been effectively harmonized with the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF), the CFR which can be likened to the MTEF further threatens the relevance of the NDP.

The regulations should therefore require the minister to indicate how the CFR shall be harmonized with the NDP or vision 2040 if passed.The timeframe within which the CFR is to be presented to Parliament as per Section 6 (5) is unrealistic.

While the CFR is approved by Parliament, the bill proposes deviations from the set objectives to be approved by cabinet as per Section 7(1) and a report on the deviations to be submitted to parliament later as per Section 7(3). Not only are these serious contradictions but since the MPs are representatives of the people, it is only prudent that they approve the deviation from the set objectives that they themselves approved at the enactment of the CFR.Supplementary budgeting The finance bill under article 21(4) states that a “supplementary expenditure shall be approved where there is an unabsorbed, unavoidable and unforeseeable expenditure for which no amount has been appropriated”. This is the first step in reducing the misuse of supplementary budgeting. However for the bill toauthorize the Minister for Finance upon request by the accountant general to approve supplementary expenditures of up to 10% of the initial approved budget of the votes without a prior approval of Parliament will lead to abuse of public resources. We therefore recommend that no supplementary budget should be released without parliament approval. If not, we proposal that the minister’s approval remains at 3.5% of the initial approval budget. Resource allocationResource allocation should prioritize sectors that boost growth and development. Currently heads of self-

accounting bodies submit their budget estimates of revenue and expenditure to the Ministry of Finance on behalf of the President, during the budget preparation stage which is laid before Parliament by the minister. Parliament is not given a chance to scrutinize and make recommendations for amendments on issues of allocative and operational efficiency. This could leave room for leakages, wastage and abuse.Although operations of autonomous institutions are monitored by the Auditor General, it’s more of a post mortem rather than a preventive approach. Different institutions have handled their funds in different ways which is irregular. For example Makerere University until about 3-4 years ago spent the money collected without approval of Parliament. This is in breach of the Constitution which stipulates that all money collected by any government institution should not go to the consolidated fund except with the approval of Parliament to channel through specified fund. Stakeholder participation The 1995 Constitution empowers citizens to participate in policy processes, therefore, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have a right to participate in the development process including but not limited to the budget processes. In light of these constitutional obligations for citizen participation; the Public Finance Bill 2012 should spell out specific roles, responsibilities and time/spaces for participation by CSOs and other stakeholders in its implementation, review and overall management. In as much as, CSOs welcome the proposal of the CFR under Section 6(5) which states that the minister shall within one month of the commencement of the first session of parliament, using the appropriate means cause the Charter of Fiscal Responsibility as an innovation to hold government politically accountable, the one month timeframe within which the CFR has to be presented for approval is very short notice for any substantial input to be acquired from all categories of stakeholders. This period should be increased to at least after four months of commencement of the first session of parliament with clearly stipulated schedules for stakeholder participation in developing priorities of the charter. Section 8(5) indicates that Parliament shall review and approve the Budget Framework Paper by 1st February of the financial year preceding the financial year to which the Budget Framework paper further more Section 11: Annual Budget (1) states that The Minister shall, in consultation with other stakeholders, prepare the annual budget of Government for a financial year. The bill does not stipulate spaces for engaging CSOs and other stakeholders in reviewing the Budget Framework Papers to provide feedback to each sector.

Public Finance Bill 2012 was tabled in Parliament and is currently before the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs committee.

NEW PUBLICATIONS

The FOWODE resource center is a ONE STOP CENTER, where you can access information on Gender, Governance, Democracy, and Human rights. You can also access internet, photocopying and printing services while there. Please visit the FOWODE website, www.fowode.org or the FOWODE resource center at our offices in Ntinda to access the publications below and many more.

VISIT THE FOWODE RESOURCE CENTER

Where is the money for family planning services in Uganda

is an issue brief containing key findings of a Public Expenditure Tracking Survey (PETS) conducted by FOWODE to establish funds

allocated to Family Planning (FP) services right from Uganda’s Ministry of Finance Planning

and Economic Development (MFPED) through the Ministry of Health (MoH), National Medical

CSBAG Members attending a meeting to review the Finance Bill. The lead facilitator was from the International Budget Program. CSBAG has held a series of review meetings and consultations have on the Public Finance Bill 2012 with ministry of Finance and the Parliamentary Budget Office. From these engagements a position paper has been developed