The United Nations has outlined five key priorities to guide Uganda’s next phase of development, as the country exits its 2021–2025 Cooperation Framework, launches the Fourth National Development Plan (NDP IV), and prepares for graduation from Least Developed Country status.
Addressing a high-level Joint Steering Committee in Munyonyo, UN Resident Coordinator Leonard Zulu said Uganda’s success in the coming years will depend not on ambition alone, but on how effectively systems, financing, and partnerships are aligned.
With less than five years remaining to meet the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and global aid flows shrinking, Zulu described the moment as a high-stakes transition that requires discipline and coherence.
He outlined five priority areas that will shape the UN Cooperation Framework for 2026–2030.
First, Zulu said the UN’s role must remain complementary and catalytic, rather than substituting government spending.
He emphasised that the UN’s value lies in convening partnerships, providing technical expertise, and helping to resolve systemic bottlenecks that slow implementation.
Second, he called for deeper and broader partnerships to deliver NDP IV. This includes stronger alignment between government, development partners, international financial institutions, the private sector, and civil society, with the UN acting as a connector across these actors through coordinated platforms.
Third, Zulu stressed the need to shift financing from fragmented, project-based approaches to more coherent and programmatic models.
He said Uganda’s transition requires predictable and blended financing that aligns with national priorities, rather than disconnected interventions.
Fourth, he underscored that inclusion must remain central to development efforts. Effective delivery, he said, will depend on strong data systems, precise targeting, and sustained focus on women, youth, refugees, persons with disabilities, and other marginalised groups—not only as beneficiaries, but as active participants in development.
Fifth, Zulu warned that acceleration is now urgent. With the 2030 deadline approaching, he called for a focus on doing fewer things more effectively, consolidating gains, strengthening systems, and translating policy commitments into large-scale results.
“With less than five years to 2030, we must do fewer things better—consolidating gains, strengthening systems, and translating policy ambition into delivery at scale,” he said.
Zulu reaffirmed that the UN Country Team stands ready to support Uganda through this transition, positioning itself as a strategic partner in navigating reduced aid, rising development pressures, and the demands of post-graduation growth.
