UGANDA AND UNESCO SIGN HOST COUNTRY AGREEMENT UPGRADING UNESCO PROJECT OFFICE STATUS TO ANTENNAE OFFICE

Minister of Foreign Affairs Hon. Odongo Jeje Abubakhar together with the Director UNESCO Multisectoral Regional Office for Eastern Africa, Ms. Haxthausen Louise this morning, signed a Host Country Agreement upgrading the UNESCO Office in Uganda, from its current status as a Project Office to an Antennae Office. The Project Office in Kampala currently works in collaboration with the Government of Uganda, Civil Society, Private Sector and development partners within the UN Delivering as One framework with other UN Agencies to develop and strengthen policies and programmes with the aim to further the building of peace, poverty eradication, sustainable development and intercultural dialogue through education, the sciences, culture, communication and information.

While the Project Office in Kampala has maintained a presence in Uganda since 2010, and overseen the implementation of key strategic interventions in the country that have galvanized the education sector in the country, the office's status as a project-based office in the country has had a number of underlying challenges on the overall office’s operation as well as a cascading effects on the smooth implementations of the programmes and projects in the country.

Speaking at the signing event, Ms. Haxthausen Louise explained that the Antenna Office status comes with enhanced collaboration avenues that would enable the office to gain direct access to UNESCO's vast network of experts, resources, and technical support, enabling it to address resource challenges more effectively and implement high-impact projects that align with UNESCO's priorities. “The establishment of the Seat Agreement in Uganda will expand and reinforce the continued collaboration between the Government of Uganda and UNESCO and support the collective commitment and efforts in advancing shared objectives in the country in all areas of competence of UNESCO, namely Education, Sciences, Social and Human Sciences, Culture, Communication and Information. "said Ms. Haxthausen Louise Hon. Odongo called the moment “pivotal” in Uganda’s partnership with UNESCO. “With
this Agreement in place, I believe that going forward the operations of UNESCO in Uganda will be seamless and shall be able to work with partners in Uganda government and others in a more coherent and synchronized manner.

About the UNESCO Project office: Uganda has been a member of UNESCO since October 25, 1962. The organization has been involved in various initiatives and projects in Uganda, aimed at supporting the country's development in the fields of Education, Sciences, Culture, and Communication, mostly through the National Commission for
UNESCO (UNATCOM) which was established in September 1963, pursuant to Article VII of the UNESCO Constitution as a quasi-autonomous institution under the Ministry of Education and Sports to serve as the official agency linking Uganda to UNESCO and its agencies, and to ensure permanent presence of UNESCO and the implementation of
UNESCO’s activities and programmes in Uganda.