Joint News Release 15 December 2009

UN, GOVERNMENT SIGN NEW ASSISTANCE FRAMEWORK

TO SUPPORT NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN
KAMPALA – The Government of Uganda and the United Nations in Uganda today
signed a new United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF), a five-
year collaboration through which the UN will align its development activities with the
National Development Plan (NDP).

The Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, Hon. Syda Bbumba,
signed the UNDAF alongside the UN Resident Coordinator, Mr. Théophane
Nikyema, and heads of UN agencies represented in Uganda, at the Ministry’s office in
Kampala.

“With this UNDAF, the UN is committed to supporting the efforts of the Government
to build on the gains of the Poverty Eradication Action Plan and further strengthen
development in Uganda,” Mr. Nikyema said. “It is the UN’s collective response
strategy to support Uganda’s capacity to deliver the NDP, with a vision of equity and
inclusion, peace and recovery, population and sustainable growth.”

The Minister said, “The Government and the United Nations are committed to
strengthening their partnership to fully realise the development aspirations of the
people of Uganda as stated in the National Development Plan.

“In addition, the government of Uganda reaffirms its commitment to achieving the
targets envisaged in the Millennium Declaration and the Millennium Development
Goals, and sees the partnership with the UN valuable towards achieving these goals.”

The UNDAF, looking to raise over US$865 million over the next five years, will
directly support the fields of governance and human rights; sustainable livelihoods;
and quality basic social services, with special focus areas including Northern Uganda,
gender, environment, population dynamics, and HIV and AIDS, as cross-cutting and
mainstreamed throughout.

Arrived at following slightly over a year of surveys, evaluations and consultations

with the government, civil society, the private sector, academia and development
partners, the new UNDAF will run from 2010-2014.

The new UNDAF, designed in line with the UN’s Delivering as One strategy,
replaces one that was launched in 2006. The first UNDAF in Uganda, covering the
period 2006-2010, was cut short by a year so as to allow the UN system to align its
support with the NDP. The NDP, to be launched early in 2010, will run from 2010/11
to 2014/15.
The UNDAF is an essential component of the UN programme for reforms introduced
in 1997. It assists programme countries reach their commitments to the Millennium
Declaration by achieving the Millennium Development Goals.

Also called the UN business plan or UN family common plan, the UNDAF in Uganda
includes eleven resident and nine non-resident UN agencies, programmes and funds.

The UNDAF signing marks the first step in preparing relevant programming
documents by UN agencies, including Country Programme Action Plans (CPAPs).

Also at the UNDAF signing, Hon. Bbumba and the respective heads of agencies
signed the CPAPs of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the United
Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

Representative Sharad Sapra signed for UNICEF, and Representative Janet Jackson
for UNFPA.

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For details, please contact: Gerry Dyer, Head, Resident Coordinator’s Office, +256.772.755.775,
gerry.dyer@undp.org; Chulho Hyun, Chief of Communication, UNICEF, chyun@unicef.org
+256.772.222.347, +256.717.171.110; Agnes Barongo, National Programme Officer, UNFPA,
+256.753.531.229, barongo@unfpa.org.