Uganda’s High Commissioner to Tanzania, Ambassador Fred Mwesigye, has called for the urgent establishment of tree nurseries in every parish, warning that the country risks failing future generations if it does not accelerate action against environmental degradation.
Representing Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja at the Second CEOs’ Breakfast Meeting and High-Level Dialogue on the green economy and sustainability, Mwesigye criticised the slow implementation of a nationwide tree-planting framework first proposed in 2011.
The forum drew diplomats, UN agencies, government ministries, youth leaders and private-sector players.
He said Uganda’s natural resources continue to face “significant threats” from climate change, destructive investment practices and unsustainable land use, undermining the country’s environmental integrity, economic stability and long-term development goals.
“These pressures undermine our environmental integrity, our economic stability and the long-term development goals we aspire to,” Mwesigye said.
Mwesigye questioned why parish-level nurseries have not been established despite the rollout of the Parish Development Model as Uganda’s basic planning unit.
He argued that with an estimated 10.7 million households, the country could plant at least one tree per household annually if seedlings were available locally.
He said such access would significantly expand forest cover and strengthen national climate resilience.
Recalling initiatives he led in 2012 with local youth to set up a community nursery, Mwesigye said the approach was both practical and cost-effective.
“This is not difficult to achieve. It is possible if we commit,” he said. “How will our children judge us if we fail to act now?”
He warned that continued inaction would deepen the environmental loss already visible nationwide.
The meeting brought together representatives from the EU Delegation, UNDP, IOM, UNCDF, the ACPD Secretariat and the Ministry of Finance.
Organisers said the dialogue aimed to strengthen partnerships for green growth, sustainability and climate-resilience initiatives.
Ambassador Mwesigye reaffirmed government support for youth-led climate action and called for renewed urgency across all sectors to halt environmental destruction.
Youth Go Green CEO Edwin Muhumuza urged government, private-sector leaders and development partners to intensify collaboration on green growth, warning that Uganda will not meet its climate and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) commitments without united action.
“This conversation is very timely at a time when climate challenges are high and the impacts are visible,” Muhumuza said. “We brought together these conversations to support government efforts in implementing global commitments and accelerating the green economy.”
Muhumuza said the dialogue was part of ongoing efforts to align Uganda with global frameworks such as the Paris Agreement and the 2030 Agenda. He noted that the SDG Marathon and SDG Run initiatives launched in partnership with the Office of the Prime Minister’s SDG Secretariat have helped raise nationwide awareness on sustainable development commitments.
This year’s theme, “Accelerating Green Economy Partnerships for People, Planet and Profit,” emphasised the need for coordinated action across ministries, UN agencies and the private sector.
“We are looking at what each stakeholder is doing in promoting sustainability practices,” he said. “Uganda’s commitments under the Paris Agreement require active participation from both state and non-state actors to meet our NDCs.”
Muhumuza stressed that while Uganda continues to engage at global climate platforms such as the Conference of the Parties (COP), national action must match policy commitments.
“The SDGs and the green economy agenda cannot be achieved in isolation,” he said. “Partnerships are essential if we are to deliver for people, the planet and shared prosperity.”