More and more Governments decide to decentralise their Administration aiming to strengthen the planning and implementation of their development efforts by giving greater responsibilities to local governing bodies. From a gender perspective, decentralisation of a Public Administration opens up new possibilities to stimulate women's participation in local decision making processes:
The Republic of Uganda was one of the earlier countries embarking upon a decentralisation process. Around the same time, the country started preparations for reviewing its Constitution, which culminated in its promulgation in 1995. As chapter 2 of this case study explains, the new Constitution includes specific affirmative actions in favour of marginalised groups in the society, particularly women. Article 3 paragraph VI of the Constitution of the Republic of Uganda states that:
''The state shall ensure gender balance and faire representation of marginalised groups on all constitutional and other bodies"
It is against this background that a "Gender and Decentralisation Programme" was implemented in Lira District, Uganda. The programme ran from February to April 1997 and was funded by the Netherlands Government. It aimed at creating community level awareness on the need to support women in their efforts to effectively participate in local governing bodies.
Important lessons can be learned from the Lira District experience, with regard to mobilising community support for women's participation in decentralised decision-making. This is why FAO requested Ms Maude Mugisha, a consultant to the "Gender and Decentralisation Programme", to return to the area to see its effects a number of years after the sensitisation programme and to prepare this case study. The document includes the training modules used during the Lira District Programme. FAO will be pleased to collaborate with any initiative trying to adapt these materials to their country specific situation.
October 2000
Diana E. Tempelman
Regional Officer
Women in Development
FAO Regional Office for Africa
P.O. Box 1628
Accra, Ghana
