SDGs: Govt urged on alternative financing

According to Tinkasiimire, going for the ‘easier option’ of cutting allocations to programmes for these groups rather than finding alternative cash to finance them not only hurts efforts towards Uganda’s inclusive growth but could also hamper Uganda’s progress in implementing United Nations Sustainable development goals.

The Government has been urged to work out mechanisms that can ensure alternative financing of programmes that prioritise special groups in the face of the shrinking resource envelope and declining donor support.

According to Richard Tinkasiimire Baguma, the secretary general of the United Nations Association of Uganda (UNAU), going for the ‘easier option’ of cutting allocations to programmes for these groups rather than finding alternative cash to finance them not only hurts efforts towards Uganda’s inclusive growth but could also hamper Uganda’s progress in implementing United Nations Sustainable development goals.

He said in the next financial year (2024/2025) programmes for people with disabilities are among those that have been affected by cuts, adding: “Also allocations for essential medicines and essential support that deals in sexual reproductive issues have not increased”.

He said while they understand that this is due to challenges the government is having with financing the sh72 trillion budget, failure to commit enough resources, especially for the youth programmes such as those that create job opportunities can have ramifications for social order that “can turn into a cancer that can eat us all”.

He was speaking at Forest Cottages Hotel in Kampala on Monday, June 17, 2024, during a side event preceding the 3rd Uganda Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) conference.

The conference, which is organised by the Office of the Prime Minister, will take place on Wednesday, June 19, 2024, and Thursday, June 20 at Speke Resort Convention Centre in Munyonyo under the theme, “Strengthening SDG localisation and service delivery mechanisms for national development.”

Source: Read the full article here