The Third Deputy Prime Minister and Minister without Portfolio, Rt. Hon. Rukia Isanga Nakadama, on 10 March 2026 delivered an opening remark at a side event during the 70th Commission on the Status of Women currently taking place at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.
The event, titled “Business Unusual: Resourcing Women’s Sustained Leadership,” was held at the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Uganda to the United Nations and convened policymakers, civil society leaders and development partners to discuss strategies for strengthening women’s leadership and advancing gender equality.
In her welcome remarks, Rt. Hon. Nakadama commended the Forum for Women in Democracy (FOWODE), the co-host of the event, for its longstanding contribution to advancing women’s leadership in Uganda.
She noted that the organization has empowered more than 30,000 women leaders over the past three decades, helping to shape some of the country’s most prominent female political figures. She emphasized that partnerships between government and civil society remain critical in promoting inclusive governance and sustaining gains made in gender equality.
Highlighting Uganda’s progress in women’s representation, Rt. Hon. Nakadama observed that women currently hold 44% of Senior Ministerial positions and 46% of Ministers of State, while also serving in key national leadership roles including the Vice President, Speaker of Parliament and Prime Minister.
She further noted improvements within the public service, where women now occupy half of the Permanent Secretary positions, alongside significant representation among ambassadors and Chief Executives of Government Commissions.
The Third Deputy Prime Minister also pointed to growing representation of women in legislative and local governance structures.
Uganda’s 11th Parliament includes 175 female Members of Parliament, representing 34% of the House, while women constitute 45.7% of elected leaders at local government level.
Despite these gains, she cautioned that women globally still account for only about 27% of leadership positions, underscoring the need for sustained policy support and investment. She also advocated for increase of women representation in leadership positions across Africa.
The Ugandan delegation to the event included among others, Hon. Babirye Milly Babalanda- Minister for the Presidency, the Secretary of the Presidential Awards Committee,Hajjat Zaminah Malole, and the Under Secretary at the Ministry of Water and Environment (Uganda), Ms. Catherine Nassuna, Commissioner Angella Nakafeero, from the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, the Director of FOWODE, Ms. Patricia Munaba and senior government officials and civil society representatives.
Participants deliberated on strategies for strengthening financing, capacity building and policy support for women’s leadership, particularly as the global community approaches the 2030 deadline for achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
The event was sponsored by FOWODE.
Do you have a story in your community or an opinion to share with us: Email us at Submit an Article
