Leader of Opposition condemns UN rights office termination

 Mpuuga said the UN commissioner’s office has been instrumental in advocating for the protection and respect of fundamental and other rights by the government and non-government actors.

He noted that the quick government decision is likely to affect the country’s relationship with other member states of the UN which might also result in a negative impact on trade and other drivers of the economy.

He vowed to take all the necessary steps to ensure this decision is overturned.

On Tuesday 7 2023, the Government of Uganda indicated that it would not renew the host country agreement signed with the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Uganda when it expires.

OHCHR, a department of the United Nations Secretariat, is mandated to promote and protect the enjoyment and full realisation, by all people, of all rights established in the Charter of the United Nations and in international human rights laws and treaties.

The Office was established in Kampala in 2006, with the initial mandate focused on the human rights situation in the conflict-affected areas of Northern and North-Eastern Uganda. However, it was renewed in 2009 and expanded to cover the entire country and all human rights issues.

In February 2020, the mandate for the Office was further expanded to include the establishment of a Regional Human Rights Training Centre in Uganda; to provide training activities on the international human rights system for Government officials of interested States in the region, as well as national human rights institutions and civil society organisations.