The Third Deputy Prime Minister and Minister without Portfolio,Rt. Hon. Rukia Isanga Nakadama has underscored the longstanding development cooperation between Uganda and Norway, noting that the partnership is founded on a shared vision to promote gender equality and empower women and girls.
The Third Deputy Prime Minister made the remarks on Tuesday 10th March, 2026 during the opening of a side event of the Commission on the Status of Women 70 being held at the United Nations Headquarters, New York.
The side event which ran under the theme: “Justice at Risk: Coordinating Efforts to Combat Gender-Based Violence”,was jointly organized by the Governments of Uganda and Norway in partnership with civil society organizations, including the Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) Uganda Chapter and Legal Counselling for Women (JURK) of Norway.
Rt. Hon. Nakadama welcomed participants and acknowledged the presence of H.E. Erlend Kaldestad Hanstveit, State Secretary at the Norwegian Ministry of Culture and Equality, and Ms. Hege Nilssen, Director General of the Norwegian Directorate for Children, Youth and Families, alongside other distinguished delegates, government officials and civil society representatives committed to advancing gender justice.
She also highlighted that the collaboration between the governments of Uganda and Norway continues to support programmes that bring together state institutions, civil society organizations and development partners to strengthen coordinated responses to gender-based violence.
“Through initiatives such as capacity building, peer-to-peer learning and knowledge sharing, both countries have worked to enhance institutional capacities and improve systems that support survivors in accessing justice,” she said.
The Third Deputy Prime Minister further noted that the annual session of the Commission on the Status of Women provides an important global platform for countries to exchange experiences and mobilize collective action in advancing the rights of women and girls.
She expressed optimism that the deliberations at the side event would contribute meaningfully to the Commission’s priority theme for the year, which focuses on ensuring and strengthening access to justice for all women and girls through inclusive and equitable legal systems, eliminating discriminatory laws and addressing structural barriers that hinder justice.
Highlighting Uganda’s national efforts, it was pointed out that the country has put in place strong legal and policy frameworks to address gender-based violence, including provisions within the 1995 Constitution and the National Policy on the Elimination of Gender-Based Violence (2016).
“However, challenges remain in translating these frameworks into tangible outcomes for survivors. Among the measures taken by the Government are the establishment of specialized gender-based violence desks within the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, training prosecutors to handle cases with sensitivity, strengthening community awareness programmes, and introducing victim-friendly reporting mechanisms such as toll-free lines and technology-enabled platforms to encourage reporting and reduce stigma,” Rt. Hon. Nakadama noted.
During the same event, a panel of experts guided discussions on coordinated responses to gender-based violence and strategies to strengthen access to justice for survivors. The panel featured Ms. Jamali Wakooli, Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions, Ms. Liliane Adako, Director of FIDA Uganda, Ms. Line Hærnes, Policy Director at the Ministry of Justice and Public Security of Norway, and Mr. Juvan Arulanandham, Director of JURK Norway.
The panelists shared experiences from their respective institutions on addressing challenges such as case backlogs, underreporting of violence and gaps in legal aid services, while emphasizing the importance of collaboration between governments, civil society organizations and development partners to deliver legal, medical, psychosocial and economic empowerment services to survivors.
The Ugandan delegation to the event included 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, Ms. Catherine Nassuna and Commissioner Angella Nakafeero, from the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, among other senior government officials and civil society representatives.
The event concluded with a renewed call for sustained partnerships and practical actions to ensure that women and girls everywhere can effectively access justice and live free from violence and discrimination.
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