ENG - UN CC:Learn

As a landlocked country in the Great Lakes Region and with landscapes ranging from
wetlands to arid savannah, Uganda is naturally endowed with diversified potential for
growth and sustainable development. However, the quality of the country’s natural
resources is declining. 3 With enough assistance, most of the environmental problems
can be alleviated with little resources at the local level. Simple measures taken at home,
in the workplace, and across cities and communities, can make a profound difference to
people’s well-being. Basic household hygiene practices, local level waste disposal regulations
— these are all simple, cost-effective measures that can help save lives and improve
the standard of living.
CHEMICALS BIODIVERSITY LAND ENERGY
PORTFOLIO
Auke Lootsma, Resident Representative
To increase access to sustainable energy services, reducing poverty and GHG emissions, UNDP is supporting a GEF-funded pilot solar
photovoltaic (PV) project to provide rural electrification. Extensive awareness-raising activities promoted the use of PV panels, while
vendor loans and micro-enterprise facilities have been used to provide finance for this initiative. The Uganda Renewable Energy
Association has since grown from 3 to over 20 companies. At the international level, UNDP is supporting the preparation of Uganda’s
National Communication to the UNFCCC, with GEF funding.This includes a national GHG inventory, and assessment of the country’s vulnerability
to the impacts of climate change.
UNDP is promoting the adoption of sustainable land management practices in Uganda, through specialist support from its Drylands
Development Centre. For example, a regional project, focusing primarily on the cattle corridor, is working to ensure the prioritisation and
integration of environment and drylands issues into local planning and budgetary processes, as well as improving market access for drylands
commodities in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania. At the national level, a project to promote Nerica 3 rice is furthering sustainable, economic
land-use, as yields are higher and more pest-resistant than other varieties, while a project to harmonise land tenure is working to
consolidate separate land rights bills with the constitution and land act.
UNDP’s support to biodiversity conservation is focused on forest ecosystems in Uganda. For example, under its Capacity 21 initiative,
UNDP is assisting the Forestry Department to strengthen financial planning and management services, while GEF-funding is promoting
biodiversity conservation in the Albertine Rift Forests Protected Areas in Western Uganda, and a GEF regional forestry initiative is
working to protect biodiversity at four cross-border sites. In addition, UNDP is supporting NGOs in increasing awareness, conservation
and income-generating activities in the Eastern and South Western regions of Uganda.
UNDP’s contribution to Uganda’s compliance programmes under the Montreal Protocol focused on the development of a national programme
for recovery and recycling of refrigerants in the refrigeration and air conditioning sectors.The technology transfer component
of the programme involved procurement of 12 recovery units and the establishment of a recycling centre. In terms of technical assistance
and capacity development, 2 training workshops for service technicians of refrigeration and air conditioning equipment were
conducted and a monitoring system to verify the amount of CFC being phased-out was instituted.
CONTACTS
Ms. Jane Nimpamya (Ag) – jane.nimpamya@undp.org
Tel.: 256-41-233440
Fax: 256-41-344801
http://www.undp.or.ug/energy.htm
PARTNERS
Some of our Partners working with
UNDP and the Government in Uganda
Nordic Fund
Nile Basines Initiative
1
MDGR 2003 http://www.undg.org/documents/5263-Uganda_MDG_Report__2003_.pdf; 2 UNDP,“Water Governance for Poverty Reduction”, 2004:
http://www.undp.org/water/pdfs/241456%20UNDP_Guide_Pages.pdf; 3 http://www.undg.org/documents/5945-Uganda_CCA.pdf;
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