A new humanitarian platform for Ugandan NGOs have been launched by the Uganda National NGO Forum (UNNGOF) in collaboration with Oxfam International to improve their transparency, accountability and coordination during humanitarian response.
Following a stakeholders workshop in June last year in Gulu, it was concluded that, unless they introduce a platform where there is sharing of information, working together, helping to build capacities, the organisations would not operate well.
Executive Director of UNNGOF, Richard Ssewakiryanga said, “The humanitarian platform would offer space for better coordination for local and national NGOs united together by humanitarian action and response. This [platform] was done because in many communities when there is a crisis, the first responders are not international organisations, the people who respond first are local organisations. It is the local organisations that are actually living in those communities. So our reason for coming together is to make sure there is a more coordinated approach among the local organisations to be part of humanitarian response.”
Minister for Relief, Disaster Preparedness and Refugees, Hillary Onek applauded UNNGOF for the initiative saying, “A platform like this one will bring together and organise the NGOs so that they have a front where they can speak in one voice. It will also generate confidence in to our local NGOs because now when you are working as a group, I think you will have within your group some other norms of operation and sanctions. So this one is going to strengthen you.”
The minister also urged the organisations to focus their work on benefiting the people instead of the officials involved and also to allocate at least 80 per cent of their funds to the community beneficiaries and use 20% for the other things.
