Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy
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Uganda
In Uganda, the NIMD programme focusses on supporting the recently-established Inter-Party Organisation for Dialogue (IPOD).
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Contact person for this programme is: Karijn de Jong. For more information on the political context and history of Uganda, see the Uganda Factsheet.
NIMD Programme
Uganda has just emerged from the election post-mortem stage and is now entering the reform window of the electoral cycle. The NIMD programme thus focuses strongly on the inclusive dialogue platform, IPOD, in order to further strengthen interparty dialogue and start crafting a jointly-owned reform agenda. However, given the political tensions caused by the opposition’s protest campaigns and the government’s reaction, the appetite for political dialogue may be diminished in the first half of 2012. IPOD will, therefore, concentrate first on softer issues of common concern in order to keep the dialogue alive. It will then move on to more difficult issues such as presidential term limits and other constitutional matters.
To broaden the support for interparty dialogue and a culture of political tolerance, the programme will continue to push for a Summit of IPOD party presidents but will also seek the setting up of a more inclusive national dialogue with civil society and faith based organisations. Furthermore, the dialogue platform will be piloted at the district level and will include political parties, civil society organisations and other local stakeholders in a dialogue aimed at ensuring local dialogue accountability and service delivery.
NIMD will continue to build on its efforts to strengthen the policy-seeking capacity of the political parties. Under the bilateral programme for capacity strengthening of individual parties, NIMD will continue to strengthen the party secretariats in the areas of policymaking and communication. Finally in 2012 the platform will seek the opportunity to engage with civil society stakeholders on a more regular basis as both a resource and a partner in the dialogue process at the district level.
Programme news
At a glance ...
Political parties in parliament
• National Resistance Movement (NRM)
• Forum for Democratic Change (FDC)
• Uganda People’s Congress (UPC)
• Democratic Party (DP)
• Conservative Party (CP)
• Justice Forum (JEEMA)
Key achievements in 2009
• In Uganda NIMD has helped political parties set up an inter-party dialogue platform that aims to contribute to free and fair elections and long-term democratic reforms. The platform, which is known as the Inter-Party Organisation for Dialogue (IPOD), was launched on 5 February 2010 at a signing ceremony in the Ugandan capital Kampala.
Key National Partners
• Electoral Commission (EC)
•African Peer Review Mechanism Governing Council of Uganda
Key International Partners
•Royal Netherlands Embassy (RNE)
•Deepening Democracy Programme (DDP) and its contributing partners (UK, Norway, Ireland, Sweden, Netherlands)
•National Democratic Institute (NDI)
•International Republican Institute (IRI)
•Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES)
