Uganda National Focal Point 2004-2008

The Uganda National Action Plan

The results of the national assessment (Mapping Process) provided the Government of Uganda with vital information to develop a National Plan based on Ugandan realities and driven by Ugandan needs and objectives. The National Action Plan consists of a series of components or projects that are to be undertaken jointly by government agencies and civil society. The project schedule has been designed to ensure that action will be taken in a logical and phased manner over the next three years, regularly reviewed and tested (through re-mappings) and adjusted to keep the process focused on the identified needs and objectives.

This bottom-up approach has ensured that a sense of ownership of the National Action Plan – a vital factor in ensuring its long-term sustainability and success - has been imbued across Ugandan society.

Figure 4: Facilitators of the Law Enforcement Workshops take a break.

Each component or activity has a lead agency and/or Ugandan NGO as the responsible contact point with the supporting actors i.e. members of the National Focal Point, other government agencies and civil society organisations. Each of the activities will evolve through a series of logical stages, which have been designed to coincide with the overall theme of the National Plan at different stages of the Plan, be that policy development, review and harmonisation of legislation, stockpile management and recordkeeping, etc. Every aspect that can influence the small arms dynamic in the country is considered. Thus, there are activities that focus on controlling licit stocks and improving border controls, and there are those that focus on reducing dependency through public awareness, education and the creation of economic alternatives, etc. Similarly, not all activities are exclusively national in character and scope. Many activities focus on improving trans-border cooperation between Uganda and its neighbours whereas others exist to strengthen the resolve and capacity the Nairobi Secretariat and the other 11 National Focal Points in the Great Lakes Region and Horn of Africa, in jointly combating the illicit trade and trafficking in small arms and light weapons.

Thus, the Ugandan National Plan constitutes a coordination mechanism that ensures the efficient management of activities around the strategic concepts of control, reduction and prevention. The activities are clustered around a set of elements. The eight main elements of the plan aim to:

Establish and operationalise the required inter-agency institutional framework to implement the various international, regional and Sub-regional action programmes and protocols as well as the National Action Plan in comprehensive and sustainable manner;
Develop an integrated and comprehensive National Policy on Arms Management, review national legislation, administrative procedures and regulations followed by implementation of the new provisions and harmonisation within the sub-regional framework;
Train and build capacity of all agencies and civil society actors that are interacting with the National Action Plan or any of its activities;
Undertake stockpile management, recordkeeping, collection and destruction activities.
Develop and implement a national awareness and education programme to curb proliferation, reduce demand and promote responsible management of small arms and light weapons
Develop international and regional cooperation, facilitate coordination of national and sub-regional activities across borders and information exchange;
Mainstream and integrate the National Action Plan Activities into the Human Development Plan for the country, poverty reduction programmes and the peace building structures already existing throughout the regions.
Promote cooperation and interaction with civil society in order to build support for the National Action Plan and secure civil society involvement in its implementation; and
Identify and facilitate action on critical areas of control such as cross-border entry points, joint and cross border operations and reduction activities.

All Activities feed into a central long-term plan of action, whose main components are the establishment of capacity to deal with the small arms problem; the establishment of infrastructures that will expedite action in resolving the problem; and the implementation of arms management and disarmament actions nationally and across borders. With these components in place, Ugandan people can themselves undertake the action required to prevent, combat and eradicate the problem in a sustainable manner.