Knowledge, Learning, Voice and Accountability - Uganda Women’s Network (UWONET)

Strategic Objective

To challenge the negative social cultural norms and practices and advocate for the enforcement of laws and processes that protect women’s rights and access to justice.

This thematic focus will facilitate collaboration for strong women’s voice and visibility to demand for accountability, evidence-based and user-friendly research, and strengthen networking and information sharing on selected areas of focus and emerging issues during the strategic period of the plan on GEWE. In the next seven years, UWONET will continue advocating for the change of attitudes and mindsets towards the rights of women and girls, advocate for gender-responsive laws and access to justice. The thematic area will have an emphasis on movement building.

Outcome 1: A vibrant women’s movement advocating for gender equity and women’s empowerment at all levels.

Key Strategic Actions:
1. Strengthen and support the capacity, functionality, and visibility of the women’s movement.
2. Coordinate the women’s movement at national and sub national levels for voice and agency on GEWE.
3. Create spaces and platforms for women leaders at all levels to create understanding on the women’s movement.
4. Coordinate and participate in strategic local and global women’s movement initiatives.
5. Popularize the women’s manifesto that spells out key critical areas for bridging the gender gap.
6. Identify annual campaigns on women and girls’ rights.
7. Utilize the media as a tool for social transformation.
8. Joint resource mobilization for GEWE.
9. Coordinate Women led platforms that promote Peace and security.
10. Coordinate platforms that promote better service delivery at national and sub-national level.

Outcome 2: Reduced social tolerance to negative practices and norms towards girls and women (SRHR, VAW and GBV).

Key Strategic Actions:
1. Coordinate advocacy and engagement with policy makers in the formal and informal sector on SRHR, VAW & GBV and abuse of women’s rights.
2.Advocacy on review, enactment, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of laws on SRHR, VAW and GBV.
3.Support establishment and coordination of local community platforms (Barraza’s) to discuss SRHR, VAW and GBV and abuse of rights of women.
4.Build the capacity of humanitarian actors on SRHR, VAW and GBV planning and response in emerging and conflict situations.
5.Document experiences (best practices and lessons learnt) on prevention and response to VAW and GBV and other violations of women and girls’ rights.
6.Build strategic partnerships for prevention and response to SRHR, VAW and GBV.
7.Coordinate collaborations among members and allies on VAW and GBV.
8.Provide practical and strategic services to survivors of VAW and GBV.
9.Document women and girls experiences on SRHR & VAW/G
10.Coordinate prevention and response on VAW/G
11.Capacity enhancement of Women and Girls in ICT
12.Enhance collaboration with Government MDA’s i.e JLOS sector.

Outcome 3: Improved work environment for women and young girls in the labour market.

Key Strategic Actions:
1.Engage line ministries and other duty bearers to enforce and monitor the implementation of national labour laws, employment policies and labour externalization arrangements.
2.Advocate for a gender responsive framework to regulate and harmonize the export labour industry in Uganda.
3.Simplify and popularize basic laws on women’s rights in the workplace.
4.Build strategic partnerships with labour offices, workers’ unions to promote reporting and handling of women’s rights abuses at the workplace (Formal and Informal).

Outcome 4: Increased understanding and influence amongst stakeholders on implementation of laws, policies and processes that promote women’s rights and access to justice.

Key Strategic Actions:
1.Coordinate development of a gender awareness program for decision– makers and policy makers at national and sub–national levels.
2.Develop legal education pack for women and girls on fundamental civic rights (sexual and reproductive health rights, economic and social–cultural rights).
3.Coordinate collective advocacy for the implementation of laws, review and enactment on sexual and reproductive rights, VAW and GBV.
4.Advocate & partner for establishment and/or funding of more protection shelters for survivors.
5.Build partnerships on advocacy for the protection of women’s property and land rights.
6.Documentation of experiences (lessons learned and best practices) on women’s access to justice.

Outcome 5: Enhanced collaboration and synergy between UWONET, membership and stakeholders for the promotion of transformative GEWE.

Key Strategic Actions:
1.Support and organize Women’s Forum/Platforms at different levels including district, regional and national level.
2.Coordinate joint programming, resource mobilization and advocacy.
3.Conduct research, manage knowledge, and share information to inform programming on GEWE among members and allies.

Thematic Focus Area: Knowledge, Learning, Voice and Accountability