Civil Society Participation in Uganda’s APRM Process

The document examines the engagement of Ugandan civil society organisations (CSOs) in the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), highlighting systemic barriers such as lack of transparency, poor communication, and the limitations of umbrella organisations. It details how Minority Rights Group International and Care International in Uganda overcame these hurdles by forming coalitions to ensure minority rights were included in the Country Self-Assessment Report and the Programme of Action.

• The Ugandan government established a National APRM Commission to drive the process, but the selection of its members was not consultative, and the Commission lacked a formal legal basis through an Act of Parliament.
• Reliance on umbrella organisations like the NGO Forum and Deniva to represent civil society was problematic because some lacked the assumed reach, and their leaders were often too busy to devote sufficient time to the process.
• Public participation was hindered by significant communication gaps, including the use of English for most public events despite claims that five languages were used, and insufficient publicity for regional meetings.
• The APRM process in Uganda suffered from a lack of transparency, as the Secretariat treated the draft desk review and the draft Country Self-Assessment as confidential documents, preventing meaningful civil society validation.
• Minority Rights Group International and Care International in Uganda successfully influenced the process by forming a coalition, developing a separate position paper on ethnic minorities, and engaging directly with the Country Review Mission.
• There was a perceived lack of government commitment to the APRM compared to other events, such as the 2007 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), which contributed to low confidence among some stakeholders.

APA

Odoi, J. N. (2008). Civil Society Participation in Uganda’s APRM Process. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Occasional-Paper-2.pdf

Chicago

Odoi, Juliet Nakato. Civil Society Participation in Uganda’s APRM Process. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2008. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Occasional-Paper-2.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Odoi |first1=Juliet Nakato |title=Civil Society Participation in Uganda’s APRM Process |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=June 2008 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Occasional-Paper-2.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{odoi2008civil, author = {Odoi, Juliet Nakato}, title = {{Civil Society Participation in Uganda’s APRM Process}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2008}, month = jun, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Occasional-Paper-2.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }