The fund which was started to provide well-coordinated support to various entities in Uganda was suspended early this year after President Yoweri Museveni accused the Ministry of Finance of irregularly authorizing funding, to a tune 500 billion Shillings, to be operated exclusively by foreign missions in Uganda.
The construction of the multi-purpose workshop was funded by the Embassy of Ireland with 320,000 Euros, approximately 1.33 billion Shillings and it is under the bigger ‘Support to Skilling Uganda Project’ aimed to raise quality and quantity of skills provision and ensure that more girls and women attain skills training relevant for the local labour market and the economy.
“As the EU, we are particularly concerned about situations implicating security personnel. Unfortunately it appears that many violations by security forces rarely progress to prosecution even when reported, this can create a climate of impunity”
The Danish Ambassador Nicolaj Hejberg Petersen observed that Women across the world are at the forefront of the battle against COVID-19 as health sector workers, scientists and caregivers, yet they are inadequately integrated into national and global COVID-19 spaces.
In the statements seen by Uganda Radio Network-URN, four EU member states criticize the increased restrictions on the media and CSOs which they say are key in developing democracy and protecting human rights especially during the ongoing election campaign period.
The European diplomatic missions that have this afternoon endorsed the statement issued on the election-related violence in the country are that of Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Sweden, Iceland and Norway.
The Deputy Premier told URN that the EU delegates are in the district to assess the magnitude of damage at Zoka Forest Central Reserve which is among Uganda`s largest tropical rain forest measuring about 1,259 hectares, in the South of Adjumani district.
In July, the Ministry of Tourism negotiated a 6m Euro (25.2 billion) stimulus package from the EU towards the private tourism sector for post lockdown operations.
Bugoma forest, which is habitat to over 600 chimpanzees and a migratory corridor for large mammals like elephants, has been under attack by criminal 'individual' loggers and sugar cane planters after the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) cleared Hoima Sugar Limited to plant cane on part of the forestland.
While speaking at the send-off event for the students at his residence in Kololo, the EU Head of Delegation to Uganda, Ambassador Attilio Pacifici said that the students had been awarded scholarships to pursue joint Master Degrees in European Universities under the European Region Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students-Erasmus.
Lodge owners and tourism operators have appealed to the European Union (EU) delegation in Uganda to consider clear accessibility of the Euro 6 million grant (25.2 billion Shillings) that was recently extended to support the private tourism sector.
Tourism is one of Uganda’s top foreign exchange-earners with annual receipts of USD 1.6 billion brought in by 1.8 million tourists according to the Uganda Tourism Board (UTB). Out of the 1.8 million tourists, 1.3 million are foreigners while 500,000 are local tourists.
The project is part of a bigger USD 1.3 million (4.8 billion Shillings) three-year program for Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda. It also covers the training of judicial and law enforcement officers in both countries, the installation and supply of camera traps inside the park and specialized training of wildlife crime analysts.
The EU has been one of the biggest international election monitors in Uganda over the years, with more than 60 election observers in the country in the last general election held in 2016.
The Human Rights Defenders Award is presented by the European Union and Norway every year in recognition of an outstanding contribution by a human rights defender active in Uganda. This year’s award, which is the 9th edition, was also given in memory of the late Med Kaggwa, the former head of Uganda Human Rights Commission in honour of his contribution to human rights.
"In the case of improving Uganda as a business destination, we dealt with Security. Uganda is an island of peace because we created a capable indigenous State. We resolved the issue of the State, we had a criminal State before, you remember Idi Amin and how he expelled all Indians...this is reason number one why you should look at Uganda as a business destination," he said.
