Below is President Yoweri Museveni’s statement at the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD25) in Nairobi, Kenya
Addressed the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD25) in Nairobi, Kenya, where I pledged Uganda’s commitment to working for and ensuring gender equality.
However, gender equality can only be achieved in societies that have transformed and modernised. You cannot keep a pre-capitalist society in existence and you think you will easily achieve gender equality and other goals.
Even Europe has only made these strides after their societies transformed. As recent as 1911, women were not allowed to vote in the UK. You cannot keep a traditional society and then make it achieve middle-class goals.
Job creation is therefore important in the gender equality push because jobless people are vulnerable and susceptible to exploitation. Even good laws would run into implementation challenges if there are no jobs.
To the young people, I advise that you engage the elders as consultants when making a case for this equality. I say this as a veteran husband, father, grandfather and freedom fighter.
Otherwise Uganda is committed to ending child marriages, teenage pregnancy, all forms of gender-based violence and reduce unmet access to family planning methods from 28% currently to 10% by 2020.
Uganda will also operationalise the national sexuality educational policy framework that the ministry of education launched in 2018. We will do this while upholding positive cultural and religious values of our country.
