Kampala, August 15th 2008

Fifteen districts will soon benefit from a new four-year District Development Programme aimed at empowering and strengthening Local Governments in Uganda.

Since 1997, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) have supported the Government of Uganda to test and pilot the implementation of its decentralization policy through the Pilot District Development Programme (DDPI 1998-2001, DDPII 2002-2007 and now DDP III).

UNCDF was established in 1966 by the United Nations General Assembly as a UN agency to spearhead the effort to reduce poverty in least developed countries by piloting small-scale investments that could be up scaled for development. UNCDF is independent but a member of the UNDP group and, as such, works very closely with UNDP. Accordingly, UNCDF and UNDP undertake joint programming and joint administrative and logistical support.
At country level the UNDP Resident Representative heads UNCDF as well, although a National Programme Officer is responsible for its programme development, management and implementation.

The new pilot District Development Program- Phase 3, which will run from 2008 to 2012, is worth US$ 10,360,000 (about 16.8 billion Ugsh), and is jointly funded by the Government of Uganda’s Local Government Sector Investment Plan basket (US$ 6,360,000); UNCDF (US$ 2,000,000), UNDP (US$ 1,000,000) and the Government of Austria (US$ 1,000,000).

The programme document was signed on August 12th, 2008 at the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development by Mr. Chris Kasami the Permanent Secretary/Secretary to Treasury Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, Mr. Vincent Ssekondo, Permanent Secretary/Ministry of Local Government, Mr. David Morrison the Executive Secretary of UNCDF and Ms. Elizabeth Oduor-Noah, UNDP Deputy Resident Representative/ Programmes.

“The program will help the districts to build capacity, reduce poverty and contribute to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals” said Mr. Kasami at the signing ceremony.

Present at the signing ceremony were Mr. Sam Ibanda, UNDP Assistant Resident Representative for Democratic Governance and Ms. Jenifer Bukokhe, UNCDF National Programme Officer.

DDP III is designed to respond to a state of stagnation of growth in Uganda’s local economy and to persisting conditions of poverty and hardship and limited economic and employment opportunities within the country’s local economies.

The Programme, which builds upon the achievements of DDP I and DDP II, focuses on mobilizing the strategic role of Local Governments as powerful actors for stimulating and promoting economic growth.

According to Mr. Sam Ibanda, Head of the Democratic Governance Unit at UNDP, “support to local governance is central in UNDP’s democratic governance programme as far as it enables people to take charge of the development of their own areas, through priority setting, planning and budgeting […] and local economic development is one of such strategic initiatives that will move this agenda forward”.