UNDP mission to Northern Uganda

June 24, 2024

UNDP Resident Representative Ms. Nwanne Vwede-Obahor with Acholi Religious Leaders Peace Initiative (ARLPI) members

Gulu, Uganda – The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) led by Resident Representative Ms. Nwanne Vwede-Obahor has visited Gulu in Northern Uganda, meeting with District Local Government officials and various development stakeholders to deepen understanding of development challenges and opportunities in the region.

Meeting with the Acholi Religious Leaders Peace Initiative (ARLPI), chaired by retired Arch Bishop Dr. John Baptist Odama, the UNDP team explored opportunities for peace building in Northern Uganda and pledged continued support to development initiatives within the region, emphasizing the need to achieve tangible and impactful outcomes at the community level to ensure no one is left behind on Uganda's development journey.

The ARLPI is an interfaith peace building and conflict transformation organization formed in 1997 to provide a proactive response to the conflict in Northern Uganda and promote peace, reconciliation and healing among communities impacted by conflict. It brings together religious leaders of seven different religious denominations and their respective constituencies and works across the entire Achol Subregion of Northern Uganda.

During the height of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) conflict in Norther Uganda, UNDP supported the ARLPI to foster unity among religious denominations to work together for peace. The ARLPI has since been a key institution in advocating for conflict resolution through non-violent means, consulting on the development of the Uganda Amnesty Act, acting as peace observers to Juba peace talks, and playing an important role in rebuilding communities in Northern Uganda.

UNDP Resident Representative Ms. Nwanne Vwede-Obahor meets with women entrepreneurs at Lamaro Studio

The UNDP team also visited Lamaro Studio, a social impact business trading in arts and crafts and promoting gender equality and women's economic empowerment, accompanied by Hon. Betty Aol Ochan, Member of Parliament and Jane Frances Amongin Okili, Gulu Resident City Commissioner to meet with 40 young women entrepreneurs.

Lamaro Studio has organized an annual International Women's Day Fashion Show since 2018 with the objective to promote creativity and innovation among women entrepreneurs, as well as Women in Business workshops with the purpose to provide an opportunity to network, mentor and share business information. The studio also runs two retail stores where products from more than 20 women-led enterprises are sold.

UNDP has spearheaded various projects to mitigate the impacts of the two-decade conflict in Northern Uganda (1986-2006), including through the UN Peace Building Fund where UNDP allocated resources for peacebuilding efforts focused on enhancing access to justice, transitional justice, conflict management, child protection and human rights, while eliminating gender-based violence (GBV). Additional projects in Northern Uganda have targeted livelihoods assistance for refugees and host communities, strengthened resilience to environmental challenges, promoted gender equality, and combated violence against women and girls (VAWG).

In her engagements with various development actors in Gulu, UNDP Resident Representative Ms. Nwanne Vwede-Obahor pledged continued support to the people of Northern Uganda to reduce poverty and inequality, create opportunities for inclusive economic growth, and ensure no one is left behind on Uganda's development journey.