ActionAid International Uganda

The action plans developed during the training should guide sustained civic engagement. Youth, CSOs, & community structures should implement their commitments, strengthen collaboration with local authorities, and promote transparency and accountability in public service delivery.

Participants have identified governance and service delivery challenges affecting their communities and developed practical action plans to strengthen citizen participation, collaboration with local authorities and accountability in Amuru District.

Youth and CSO representatives have explored practical advocacy approaches to engage duty-bearers, influence local development decisions and advance community priorities for improved public service delivery.

Participants in Amuru have examined the roles and responsibilities of citizens, community leaders and duty-bearers in governance, highlighting the importance of active citizen participation in shaping local development priorities.

Happening now in Amuru District: ActionAid International Uganda, in partnership with Gulu District NGO Forum, is strengthening the capacity of youth, CSOs and community stakeholders to advance civic participation, advocacy and accountability in local governance.

The Amuru CAO, Mr Opio John Bosco, acknowledged the service delivery concerns raised by community monitors and called on CSOs to strengthen citizen engagement, document gaps, and work with local authorities to promote accountability and improved public services.

Mr.Rwotomiya Moses Eluice also raised concerns about service delivery at Olwal Health Centre II, citing inadequate security, shared water sources, lack of access ramps and the absence of sign language interpreters to support persons with hearing impairments in public facilities.

During the engagement in Amuru, Guru Guru monitor Rwotomiya Moses Eluice highlighted gaps in education service delivery, including high teacher-pupil ratios, poorly maintained school latrines, and declining enrolment among girls, linked to parental attitudes & cultural barriers.

According to Mr Robert Asiimwe, our Regional Programme Officer – Northern Uganda, accountability works when citizens raise service delivery concerns, engage duty-bearers using evidence and track commitments to ensure institutions respond and take corrective action where necessary

Effective governance begins with informed citizens. Participants in Amuru District are strengthening their understanding of citizens’ rights and responsibilities, democratic governance and opportunities to participate in public decision-making.

Today, ActionAid International Uganda, in partnership with Gulu District NGO Forum, is engaging youth, CSOs and community stakeholders in Amuru District to strengthen civic participation, advocacy and accountability for improved governance and public service delivery.

The two-day initiative brings together 100 civic actors across Amuru and Nwoya, including women, youth leaders and persons with disabilities, to strengthen their contribution to human rights advocacy and accountable governance.

Participants are translating identified challenges into practical advocacy commitments, outlining opportunities for community mobilisation, collaboration and engagement with relevant duty-bearers.

Group discussions are focusing on emerging civic space, governance and environmental justice issues in Amuru and Nwoya, allowing activists to identify district-specific priorities requiring attention and coordinated advocacy.

From identifying community concerns to influencing policy implementation, participants are exploring advocacy approaches that strengthen engagement with stakeholders and promote accountability at local and national levels.

Threats to activists can undermine efforts to defend human rights. Participants are exploring practical risk assessment and protection measures to help them navigate increasingly constrained civic environments.

Freedom of expression, association and assembly are central to civic participation. Discussions are examining how restrictions on these freedoms affect activists’ ability to organise communities and hold duty-bearers accountable.

Activists from Amuru and Nwoya districts are examining challenges affecting civic participation and strategies for advancing citizens’ rights. The initiative is organised by ActionAid International Uganda in partnership with Gulu District NGO Forum.

Community priorities must translate into action. Documenting proposals, obtaining departmental responses and tracking agreed follow-up actions are essential to strengthening accountability in Bukedea’s FY 2027/2028 planning process. #BudgetAccountability

At Bukedea’s budget conference, TEDDO’s Moses Okoed called for community priorities, including women’s access to justice, to inform district plans and urged follow-up on the stalled Matata Valley Dam to strengthen accountability for public investments.