UNDP and Uganda sign $20 million programme to eradicate poverty

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Government of Uganda have signed a new six-year programme to help eradicate poverty in that country.

The $20 million programme, in line with the Government's Poverty Eradication Action Plan (PEAP), will cover three major areas: policy analysis and poverty monitoring; good governance for poverty eradication; and income generation and sustainable livelihoods. The programme, set from 2001 to 2006, will also emphasize gender equity, consolidating support to control HIV/AIDS and sustainable use of the environment and natural resources.

The first objective of the good governance component will be to strengthen the capacity of key national institutions, UNDP said. Uganda's parliament will receive support to ensure that legislators are trained in legislative oversight and the Uganda Human Rights Commission will be given help to build its capacity and that of its partners to promote, protect and realize human rights in the country. The Government's inspector general and ethics department will also receive backing to enable them to monitor transparency and accountability.

The project will also seek to reinforce capacity in the 11 District Private Sector Promotion Centres in providing skills training, business development services and promote e-commerce, UNDP said.

The scheme will try to build institutional capacity for entrepreneurship development by targeting high-growth small- and micro-level enterprises and provide them with the necessary skills to make them profitable as a model for other entrepreneurs. A total of 200 new enterprises will be started, and 300 already existing will be strengthened to make them profitable. The third component is the support to the establishment by 2002 of a regulatory framework for micro finance institutions.