SP&PFM capacity-building on social protection leads to a digital village directory in Uganda

To enhance the provision of social protection services, the International Labour Organization (through the SP&PFM Programme) is supporting the implementation of the Parish Development Model in Karamoja Region, in collaboration with the Karamoja Resilience Secretariat, the World Food Programme and relevant ministries, departments and agencies.

Ugandan women selling bananas in the street.

Recently launched by the Government of Uganda, the Parish Development Model is an approach conceived under the third National Development Plan and premised on the assertion that the Parish Development Committees and citizens as end users of social services are better placed to identify and respond to their own needs, priorities and direct use of resources.

The Parish Development Model is crafted around seven pillars. The SP&PFM Programme’s support hinges on pillars 4 and 6 (social services, and governance and administration) to strengthen the district coordination mechanism and capabilities for improved service delivery. The support critically examines aspects of coordination at the national, district, sub-county and parish levels to ensure improved service delivery to the last person in each community, with social protection programmes as an entry point. The approach recognizes the existing coordination structures at various levels and strives to make them more effective, coherent and holistic in the delivery of services.

The need for this support stems from several challenges, including poor coordination, multiple and ineffective databases on social protection and limited capacities and knowledge on social protection within the region.

The SP&PFM Programme’s support to date has culminated in:

  • Enhanced capacities of district local governments and partners to improve synergies between social protection and public finance management protection through a TRANSFORM training delivered to district and ministry personnel.
  • Establishment of social protection coordination mechanisms through a mapping of all partners and programmes operating in the region.
  • A social protection coordination calendar that was established in each district.
  • Support towards the development of a digital village directory, which aims at digitalizing the village register. This support included national stakeholder consultative engagements to feed into the elaboration of the directory’s conceptualization and development of the final road map towards its launch.

Learn more about SP&PFM in Uganda here.