The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Accra, Ghana | THE INDEPENDENT | In a landmark achievement, Uganda has been selected to host the African Humanitarian Agency, a specialized technical agency of the African Union. This decision was made during the 45th Session of the African Union Executive Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs in Accra, Ghana.
According statements issued July 19th 2024 by both the African Court on Human and People’s Rights, and Uganda’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Uganda emerged as the top choice from among four countries that submitted bids, including Kenya, Nigeria, and Equatorial Guinea.
The evaluation process was conducted by an independent team from the African Union Commission, which assessed the proposals and suitability of each country to host the agency.
In addition to hosting the African Humanitarian Agency, Uganda’s Justice Duncan Gaswaga has been appointed as a Judge to the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights for a six-year term. The Statements indicate that this appointment was made during the same Executive Council session, with an overwhelming majority of 46 member states voting in favor.
The Ugandan government has welcomed these developments, citing the country’s experience in dealing with humanitarian action and its established legal and institutional frameworks for managing forcibly displaced persons.
The Statement quotes the Permanent Representative to the African Union, Ambassador Rebecca Otengo who expressed excitement at the win. “This is the first African Union Agency hosted by Uganda since joining the Union when it was first called the Organisation of African Union (OAU),” she said.
Speaking from Kampala, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gen. Jeje Odongo said “Uganda being the largest refugee hosting country on the African Continent with established legal and institutional frameworks on forcibly displaced persons and impeccable experience in dealing with humanitarian action made her an acceptable candidate to many African Union Members.
He added that this is doubled by the goodwill enjoyed by the Ambassador and members of Ugandan Embassy among other African Union Member states in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
According to the statement, the process for the operationalization of the Agency in Uganda has already begun with the approval of the budget to recruit the top management staff of the Agency during Financial Year 2025/2026.
The African Humanitarian Agency is expected to play a critical role in coordinating and providing humanitarian responses to affected member states, while Justice Gaswaga’s appointment to the African Court will help strengthen the continent’s human rights framework.
According to sources in Judiciary who preferred not to be quoted as they are not authorized to speak on behalf of the Institution, these developments demonstrate Uganda’s growing influence and leadership in regional and continental affairs, and its commitment to promoting humanitarian action and human rights.
Background:
The Assembly of the African Union at the 11th AU Humanitarian symposium that sat in Nairobi, Kenya in November 2023, adopted a decision to establish a Humanitarian Agency as part of African Union vision to strengthen its Human Architecture.
In April 2023, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni received a delegation from the African Union led by Prof. Julio Rakotonirina, the Head of AU Health Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development to evaluate Uganda’s bid to host the African Union Humanitarian.
Who is Justice Gaswaga?
Justice Duncan Gaswaga is the Resident Judge of the Lira High Court Circuit.
Prior to that, on August 5, 2016, he was appointed as Chairperson of the Anti-Corruption Commission in Seychelles. He initially served the Judiciary of Seychelles, first as a Magistrate and later as a Supreme Court Judge, between 2002 and 2013.
The decision to create an Anti-Corruption Commission was announced by President James Michel in his State of the Nation Address in February 2016.
He declared that the Commission would have the powers to investigate, detect and prevent practices linked to corruption. It would also receive complaints against corruption and record investigations into allegations of practices linked to corruption in any Government departments and any institutions which receive funding and donations from Government.
In 2006, Justice Gaswaga, then a Magistrate, was appointed as a Judge of the Supreme Court of Seychelles.
In 2013, he was appointed Judge of the High Court having joined the Judiciary in 1999 as a Magistrate Grade I. Prior to that, he was in private practice as an advocate in Kampala.
After the revival of the East African Community, he was elected as the first general secretary of the East African Magistrates and Judges Association for Kenyan, Tanzanian and Ugandan judges.
The 53- year old holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from Dar Es Salaam University and a number of certificates and diplomas in law from other universities in Uganda, Denmark and South Africa.
****
URN
