Members of the Parliament of Uganda are participating in a Parliamentary Scrutiny and Communications Workshop delivered jointly by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association UK (CPA UK), the Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD), UN Women, and the Uganda Women Parliamentary Association (UWOPA) in Entebbe on 24 and 25 July 2022.

Building on past engagement, the workshop targeting women parliamentarians explores effective committee work and impactful external communications. Practical components familiarize participants with Westminster-style committee hearings and media interviews.
With over half of women Members of the Parliament of Uganda elected for the first time in 2021, the workshop further presents an opportunity to review and assess current ways of working.

The programme opened on 24 July with an address from UWOPA Chairperson Hon. Sarah Opendi, UN Women Country Representative Adekemi Ndieli, and CPA UK Delegation Leader Kate Osamor MP. The remainder of the workshop explores a range of topics related to parliamentary scrutiny and external communications, including committee work, questioning and interviewing techniques, and public speaking skills. Further mentoring sessions are planned in the course of their term in office.

CPA UK delegation leader Kate Osamor MP stated:

“This workshop presents an exciting opportunity to reconnect with colleagues from the Parliament of Uganda and compare our approaches to scrutiny of government and media engagement. Commonwealth parliamentarians are a fantastic resource for one another, and sharing experiences helps us in fulfilling our roles as legislators and representatives.”

UN Women Deputy Representative Adekemi Ndieli stated:

“The participation of women in decision making is a key element in promoting democracy. Use of the knowledge and skills acquired from this workshop will go a long way in contributing to building skills that will enable the MPs to communicate their work effectively to the media, the public, on the floor of parliament and in their different committees."

UN Women and WFD work closely with the Parliament of Uganda through UWOPA, supporting members of parliament to better understand the needs of women and girls and to use their positions to advance women empowerment, gender equality and fight gender-based violence against women and girls.

CPA UK has enjoyed close ties with the Parliament of Uganda since 2016, with a particular focus on support for women parliamentarians and parliamentarians working on legislation to curb human trafficking and other forms of exploitation.