In commemoration of this year’s International Women’s Day, the Uganda Women’s Network (UWONET) led the Women’s Movement of Uganda in a press conference to reflect on progress and give voice to the issues concerning women’s economic empowerment (WEE). Uganda celebrated IWD2024 under the theme “Accelerating Gender Equality through Women’s Economic Empowerment.” The Women’s Movement acknowledged the efforts of the Government of Uganda towards women’s empowerment as a catalyst for progress towards gender equality, emphasizing that the role played by Uganda’s female population is the engine that drives the growth of Uganda.

In the press statement, the Women’s Movement called on the Government of Uganda to support a multi-sectoral program of customized services that empower women entrepreneurs and facilitate the transition of their enterprises from micro to medium and macro levels, as well as improving their productivity, among other recommendations. The statement highlighted how the tedium of unpaid and underpaid work, coupled with women’s economic dependence, climate-related crises, and oppressive social and gender norms, keeps women in a cycle of poverty and at the margins of society. The statement concluded with specific asks to the Government of Uganda to address unpaid care and domestic work (UCDW) as a crucial factor for women’s economic development.

Additionally, on March 13th, 2024, UWONET’s sub-national partner, Mission Uganda, which operates in Gulu City, was given an opportunity to make a presentation about UCDW during the district’s IWD2024 celebrations. This was effectively done through a poem recited by secondary school students whom Mission Uganda had recently sensitized on UCDW. The poem’s central focus was on defining UCDW and exploring how it can be addressed within the community. Watch the video below:

During the celebrations, the Speaker of the Gulu City Council, in her address, highlighted the critical issue of UCDW and its detrimental effects on women’s development. In her remarks, she emphasized the urgent need for the leadership of Gulu City to address UCDW, stating that, “For women to realize their full potential, there is a need to relieve them from the overwhelming demands that come with Unpaid Care and Domestic work (UCDW), and this can be achieved through concerted efforts from every stakeholder to ensure that people start to recognize UCDW as real work. If we work together, we can ensure that it is reduced, redistributed, and represented.”

The Speaker’s impactful remarks can be directly attributed to policy-influencing engagements held in February 2024 by UWONET’s sub-national partner with the elected female councillors of the Gulu City and Gulu District Councils. During these crucial meetings, Mission Uganda and UWONET conducted orientation sessions meticulously designed to enhance the councillors’ knowledge and appreciation of unpaid care work as a significant economic and women’s rights concern. A notable outcome of these strategic meetings was the formation of the councillors into District Women Caucuses (DWC), a powerful vehicle that UWONET has successfully utilized to foster solidarity for the promotion of women’s rights. This well-tested method has proven effective in unifying female elected leaders beyond the traditional divides of political affiliation, religion, social status, etc. The committed councillors pledged to actively use their roles and mandates within the District and City Councils to make unpaid care a priority issue for policy attention and action.