Youth leaders from government, civil society, politics and private sector from different regions of Uganda were among the 100 participants who convened to exchange ideas on gender equality at the National Youth Conference 2018 at Ridar Hotel Seeta – Mukono on 23rd and 25th November 2018. Youth exchanged ideas and discussed emerging issues on; existing legal and policy frameworks on gender equality, the political economy of legal and policy formation in Uganda, opportunities and challenges for youth with a bias on holistic gender equality legislative framework and drew an advocacy strategy for improved youth participation in policy processes.

The two day conference was organized by the School of Women and Gender Studies (SWGS) and University Forum on Governance (UNIFOG), with support from Democratic Governance Facility (DGF) and Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS).

Uganda is one of the countries in the world with the youngest population with over 22% (8.2 million) of its total population at 37.6 million aged below 30 (UBOS, 2017/2018). With just 8.2 million youth aged 15-30, the country also has one of the highest youth unemployment rates in Sub-Saharan Africa.

To help the youth reach their full potential, the conference aimed to provide youth with a platform to debate the state of gender relations in Uganda as well as the policy and legal frameworks for gender equality. By this, young men and women were able to define their aspirations for policy and legislative change as well as the areas where implementation of existing laws require strengthening.

The conference also drew on participation of senior decision makers and influencers from politics, civil society as well as cultural and religious institutions to foster intergenerational dialogue. While officially opening the National Youth Conference Hon. Andrew Aja Baryayanga, MP, Kabale Municipality-Uganda in his remarks, noted that youth have the potential to get on any decision making platform and access whatever is rightfully theirs.

Hon. Andrew Aja Baryayanga, MP, Kabale Municipality, making his remarks during the conference

"I believe that as youth, you have the potential and you can push your views to whatever heights, be it in politics or employment. Youth’s power, idealism, enthusiasm, and courage are unmatched and are a wealth for the entire world,” he said.

Mr. Bruce Kabaasa, Director, UNIFOG in his welcome remarks said that equality of voices, rights and opportunities is what the project aims to achieve. This conference is geared towards building a strong network of youth and paving way for more innovative, participatory and resilient youth.

Mr. Bruce Kabaasa welcoming participants to the conference

“We live in a time where youth have limited opportunities to participate in decision making and the development of the nation. Therefore, young people ought to reflect, soberly confront issues and drive the development agenda in line with existing legislative laws and policies,” he said.

Associate Prof. Sarah N. Ssali, Project Principal Investigator and also the Dean School of Women and Gender Studies said that the social construction of the youth has changed. Unlike in the past, youth are currently constructed as a problem. We therefore ought to focus on the youth as a vulnerable group, and the specific gender issues affecting them.

“Government has an obligation to avail youth with opportunities but at an individual level, youth should be able to utilize any opportunities within their reach and be ready to learn from mentors,” she said. She noted that if they are to achieve their goals, they ought to know who they are, where they want to go and who they can leverage for mileage to get there.

Associate Prof. Sarah N. Ssali (R) speaking to participants during the national youth conference 

Youth according to the various deliberations are known to recline in ignorance, oblivion and disorganization hence hindering their positive participation and engagements in decision making and in turn limiting their opportunities such as accessing what is rightfully theirs. They were guided to break the chains of feeling entitled and letting people define them but rather invest in themselves and read to be able to intellectually counteract arguments brought before them.

“As we map out gender differences between men and women, we need to identify gender differences between the youth as these determine gender relations and limit their opportunities,” noted Dr. Ssali. She further implored youth to be knowledgeable, read extensively, learn to speak up and articulate their concerns from an informed point.

Dr. Ssali further encouraged young leaders to interrogate every quote and theory before using them to express their opinions. "Every theory applies to a particular context in a particular time," she said.

On the possibility of achieving gender equality, participants established that it is achievable and a journey worth aspiring to. It was noted that the promotion of gender equality is a significant contributor to progress and achievement of all the goals and targets of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In his submission, Mr. Humphrey Nabimanya, Founder and Team Leader, Reach a Hand-Uganda noted that gender equality can be achieved and it is a process. It may not be achieved now, but it is a possibility.

Youth were encouraged to strategically address constraints to their participation in leadership opportunities and to maximally utilize whatever resources and opportunities around them irrespective of the gender inequalities.

L-R Mr. Humphrey Nabimanya, Founder and Team Leader, Reach a Hand-Uganda and Mr. Bowe Ivan sharing their views

Seeing that those occupying leadership positions are not readily willing to change the status quo, youth were implored to utilize whatever opportunities to their advantage, consolidate themselves and use them to facilitate others to join those spaces, as well as agitate for seats at the decision making table because they have something to offer not because of their entitlement.

Regarding the tools and methodologies that young people can leverage to influence policies and legislation towards gender equality, the conference identified online spaces specifically social media, existing laws and policies, physical and online activism, available avenues namely: conferences, stakeholder meetings, parliament, and local councils.

"Social media is one of the strongest communication tools that Ugandan youth own. This space has facilitated the most powerful movements like the #MeToo campaign. When physical space is shrinked by the state machinery, we should take refuge in the cyber space" noted Mr. Bowe Ivan, former Guild President - Makerere University.

On top of building relationships and efforts to establish a strong network of young leaders who can influence positive change in the country, the conference provided youth with a platform to debate the state of gender relations in Uganda as well as the policy and legal frameworks for gender equality.

Participants committed to change their attitude towards life, utilize whatever collaborations and spaces they have towards building a strong regional network of youth leaders, curving way for more intentional, innovative and strategic ways of participating. They further agreed to ride on the issues that affect them to drive the gender equality agenda, considering they occupy and have a bigger duty to carry the country forward.

Some of the participants aring their views during the conference 

 Panel members during the conference panel discussions