1. Gender inequality In Uganda, women’s rights have been violated, for example in some communities women are not given the
chance to participate in political issues, most are denied education and some have been sexually abused even in their own homes etc. It was recommended that; Women should become activists and stand up to fight for their rights. They should have a representative in the UN body so that their ideas are dealt with directly. They should be encouraged to get involved in all levels of decision making so that they can push government to implement their activities. NGOS such as UWONET should be set up to fight for women rights. 2. Information gap As the saying goes “where there is no information there are rumours and therefore suspension” The right to information is important because it creates a democratic society. Without information, one can’t process what he wants and can’t go beyond what he/she sees. It determines purchasing power and one’s worth. If information is the currency to one’s destiny then everyone has the right to information. Confidential documents in Africa exist which is not the case in the library of congress. Recommendation We should know that the right to know is a requirement for freedom of thought and expression therefore information should be accessed freely. Access to information is a basic human right. Librarians should be activists to see that information is accessible to the general public at the time when they need it. Librarians should ensure that information is disseminated to all levels of the community.3. Food Sovereignty and Land in Uganda Most of the struggles are similar country wide. Agriculture is a way of life and land is the only inheritance that we own and if commercialized, then the rights of the peasants to feed themselves are denied. People pushing for commercialization are in the business and have no concern for the poor who have no money. The argument that commercialization will lead to economic development is not true because many examples of those countries who have undertaken those reforms such as South Korea and Taiwan have developed much faster, are not valid generally.
Poverty is growing fast and the situation of the poor people is deteriorating. Peasants should have their land to become self-reliant. If the farmers have access to good framework conditions, like affordable credits, good seeds, agricultural research and other agricultural inputs, access to marketing facilities and if not overtaxed by the government their yield per hectare can be higher. Recommendations. Let’s unite and fight together to stop commercialization of the land Let’s participate in the information network exchange information and invite people to participate Let’s disseminate information and publications on the struggle for food sovereignty and land Assist peasant movements in Uganda Let’s internationalize our movement so as to achieve the goal for the fight for land and food production in order to turn women and men peasants into real subjects of the economic, social and political development of society. Let’s empower them so that we can produce healthy food for all, free from genetic manipulation 5. Poverty Uganda has got the problem of poverty that is affecting the entire country and yet the standards of living are high this has led to poor living standards. Poverty in Uganda is usually due to unemployment. Recommendations World Bank claim to be striving to achieve a world free of poverty, this will remain but a pipe dream. Hence the civil society will continue working together till these debts are cancelled. Creating employment for people so that they can earn income Strengthening sectors like Agriculture that most people depend on to earn a living. 6. Human Rights and Dignity Human right is the search for dignity, people who live in poverty have no experience of dignity. Poverty is therefore a violation of human rights. There are frameworks in the forum of UN instruments and variousregional and local chapters which bind
governments to steer towards the realization of human dignity. Activists need not only remind governments on this obligation but should go the extra mile to demand governments to respect their obligation towards a realization of human dignity for their citizens and the community as a whole. Not only governments violate the rights of citizens, in Uganda multinational corporations who are more powerful than governments often encourage the government to pass policies which violate the rights of citizens. Recommendations: We need a world where everyone is economically pro-active, a world where everyone is socially inclusive and a world of unity and cultural diversity. The community should be sensitized about human rights. Strengthening institutions like Human Rights Commission so that they can emforce laws to protect human rights. Setting up and enforcing law on human rights abuses. 7. Corruption In Uganda corruption has become one of the most pressing injustices committed. This is usually committed by top government officials making it difficult for the local person to complain and even if they did no measures where enforced. Recommendation Setting and enforcing laws against corruption like leadership code Sensitizing the public on acts of corruption