“Democracy grows and becomes resilient only once it is truly owned by citizens,” said Ambassador Attilio Pacifici, ahead of the international democracy day commemoration for 2019 for the European Union Delegation to Uganda slated for Thursday, September 19.
The European Union Head of Delegation to Uganda, H.E Ambassador Attilio Pacifici has said there is need to have deep conversations about democracy in Uganda.
H.E Pacifi while speaking to journalists at Makerere University on Monday said the only way to hold leaders accountable is by ensuring that every Ugandan is given equal treatment.
“Democracy grows and becomes resilient only once it is truly owned by citizens,” he said ahead of the international democracy day commemoration for 2019 for the European Union Delegation to Uganda slated to take place September 19th.
The celebrations will take place at Makerere University under the theme; “The Role of Parliament in shaping representative democracy in Uganda.” The event according to the ambassador will involve an exchange of views with many of the students from Makerere University and other young people.
The international Day of Democracy is celebrated globally on September 15 annually as established by a resolution passed by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in 2007, encouraging governments to strengthen and consolidate democracy.
“Democracies today face many challenges, as countries seek answers to serious questions about how their system of government can adapt in a complex and fast-changing world. In Uganda, as elsewhere, representative democracy, and the role played by parliament is an important part of these on-going discussions,” added the Ambassador.
The international Day Democracy event at Makerere will take a form of an invite-only workshop followed by an open plenary discussion in the afternoon on four themes related to the Ugandan parliament.
The closely related sub-themes include; representativeness in the parliament, the ability of Uganda’s representatives to advance gender equality, accessibility of Parliament by the average Ugandan and the impact of media coverage on the public’s understanding of what parliament does.
Ambassador Pacifici observes that this year’s theme is closely related to the topic of participation, which is the UN’s focus for this year’s celebration of the international day for democracy at a global level.
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On his part, Professor Barnabas Nawangwe, the Makerere University Vice-Chancellor said it was an honour to be hosting the EU delegation again, having hosted the 2017 event.
“It is important for youth to be involved in democracy and governance programmes. As Makerere University, we are proud to partner with the European Union Delegation to provide an opportunity for young, active people to engage in democratic dialogue and enable collective impact,” said Professor Nawangwe.
Professor Nawangwe further says such debates at Makerere prepare the future leaders of the country. He says civic educations is important especially in the run-up to the 2021 elections.
Davidson Ndyabahika
Freelancer