The Ambassador of France in Uganda HE. Jules-Armand ANIAMBOSSOU on Wednesday 15th June, 2022 hosted an event to launch an “INTERGENERATIONAL AND CREATIVE FEMINIST MOVEMENT PROGRAM” at the Residence of France in Nakasero.
The event gathered key stakeholders from the development community, media and CSOs for a dialogue and networking cocktail. The discussion focused on intergenerational creative feminist movement building and was an opportunity to analyse the progress and efforts of organisations towards affirmative action.
France co-hosted the Generation Equality Forum in Paris in 2021. The Ugandan government and civil society greatly contributed to enriching the discussions that led to the development of a new action roadmap in favour of gender equality for the five years to come.
To continue supporting the effort of the Ugandan feminist society, the Embassy of France in Uganda launched this initiative aiming at financing the activation of the innovative ideas discussed during the Forum. This programme, entitled ‘For an intergenerational and creative feminist movement’ will be allocated a budget of 500,000 euros over the next two years (2022-2023) through France’s Solidarity Fund for Innovative Projects instrument (FSPI). The pilot projects that will be funded will address emerging challenges within the three sectors of sexual and reproductive health and rights, Gender-Based violence and Gender & Climate Change.
“The French development policies really focus on supporting the youth, because they are bringing a number of new ideas to the table; but that doesn’t mean that we should not listen to the older generation: they have the experience, they have the knowledge, they have the methodology. This new project precisely aims at this : building bridges” said, HE. Jules-Armand ANIAMBOSSOU, Ambassador of France to Uganda.
Speaking at the event Jean François Hasperue, Deputy Ambassador & political advisor said “I know that some of your organizations have been quite active within the Ugandan civil society to contribute to developing new solutions to identified emerging challenges. I also would like to emphasize the key role that the Ugandan government played in that instance, to develop an ambitious roadmap for the next 5 years in Uganda to accelerate gender equality. I would like to take this opportunity now to thank you for this work that has been quite crucial to move forward globally toward a new agenda on the matter.”
“This new project that we are launching today precisely aims at this : building bridges. Each one of the 12 organisations that will be supported through this programme has a very developed expertise in its area of work, either it is sexual and reproductive health and rights, climate change or gender-based violence. But the core aim of the project is to support these 12 organizations to work together, to learn from each other and to creatively re-think their working
methodologies,” he added.
Jean said, “I would also like to take a moment to emphasize the importance of partnerships, on an equal footing. For us, the process of reviewing the way we work with our partners has been quite crucial.”
Speaking also at the event was Hon. Betty AMONGI, Minister for Gender, Labour and Social development who said that, “this gathering tells us that no one can do this alone, its the gathering, the partnerships, the collaborations that will take us forward and I would love to thank you for this because my work won’t be difficult.”
“You know we have so many Ugandans in the Middle East where I always go to meet the different governments and I am always the only woman in the room; then when I get back home and I see that we have so many women in the Cabinet Meetings addressing the President. It means we have beaten strides as a Country,” Hon. Betty Amongi added.
The Intergenerational and Creative Ugandan Feminist Movement aims at supporting Ugandan Feminist organizations in implementing concrete actions as a follow-up to the Generation Equality Forum. It also aims to strengthen intergenerational links between Feminist organizations by promoting the development of coalitions of actors, capacity building and peer learning.