Management Response

: Uganda
: 2024 - 2025 , Uganda (CO)
: End of Project Evaluation Report for Advancing Women Leadership, Empowerment and Resilience in Uganda’s Refugee Response (LEAP Phase II)
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Uganda

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Management accepts the recommendations, noting that some of them are already being addressed. Management commits to address the recommendations that are still pending.

: Approved
Recommendation: Promote Joint UN Programming to pursue integrated interventions with UNHCR, WFP, UNFPA, and other agencies.
Management Response: Management agrees with the recommendation. The Country Office is currently engaged in joint resource mobilization efforts with UNHCR and UNDP to leverage complementary mandates and enhance financing for gender responsive programming. The team is also in discussions with UNFPA to identify areas of synergy and coherence for joint resource mobilization. Moreover, the CO spearheaded the development of a joint LEAP proposal with 4 other ESAR countries (South Sudan, Sudan, Kenya, Somalia) based on the current context of displacement in the sub region. The CO will continue to work closely with the Regional Office (RO) to identify viable opportunities for joint programming and coordinated resource mobilization. This will include aligning proposals with regional priorities, participating in multi country and regional funding windows, and jointly engaging with donors. The sustainable results delivered in the last 10 years have created a 'shelf-ready' framework that can be easily reactivated when funding becomes available.
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Description: Promote Joint UN Programming to pursue integrated interventions with UNHCR, WFP, UNFPA, and other agencies, particularly in GBV prevention, livelihoods, and improvements in Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR). Joint approaches help pool resources and ensure gender is central across sectors. Develop a Regional Programme on Displacement to address gendered impacts of displacement across East and Central Africa. A UN Women flagship initiative can drive alignment across cross-border policy and protection.
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Women peace and security, humanitarian action & disaster risk reduction
Operating Principles: Resource mobilization
Organizational Priorities: Partnership
UNEG Criteria: Relevance
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Joint resource mobilisation with the regional office GIHA Program Specialist 2026/12 Initiated
Recommendation: Conduct continuous capacity strengthening of partners and sub-partners and close monitoring to confirm their credibility and capacity to ensure that they deliver the scope of work.
Management Response: The office will continue to utilize the Risk Based Capacity Assessment tool to identify capacity gaps of partners and develop a capacity building plan to address the gaps. This will be conducted for all the new partners. However, there is currently no successor project, due to funding constraints and the team is working assiduously to mobilize resources to take this work to scale.
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Description: Conduct continuous capacity strengthening of partners and sub-partners and close monitoring to confirm their credibility and capacity to ensure that they deliver the scope of work.
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Women peace and security, humanitarian action & disaster risk reduction
Operating Principles: Capacity development
Organizational Priorities: Partnership
UNEG Criteria: Relevance
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Develop a capacity building plan based on gaps identified in the risk based partner capacity assessment Program Specialist GIHA 2026/03 No Longer Applicable There is no successor project currently. This will be applicable in the future when funds are mobilized and new responsible partners onboarded.
Recommendation: Integrate LEAP interventions into the broader refugee response plans and District Development Plans to leverage pooled resources to reach more beneficiaries.
Management Response: Over the last few years, the LEAP design has served as a primary model for project integration, whether in humanitarian or development contexts, successfully elevating results and ensuring high-level impact across our interventions. Building on this experience, LEAP model will continue to be the standard for designing gender transformative projects and will be utilized as a proven design for project integration to elevate results to a higher level. This approach will be applied by the office when designing projects targeting refugee settlements to ensure alignment with Refugee Response Plans and District Development Plans. The CO will continue engaging district leadership and sector coordination platforms to enhance integration and sustainability of interventions.
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Description: Integrate LEAP interventions into the broader refugee response plans and District Development Plans to leverage pooled resources to reach more beneficiaries.
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Women peace and security, humanitarian action & disaster risk reduction
Operating Principles: Resource mobilization
Organizational Priorities: Partnership
UNEG Criteria: Effectiveness
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Use LEAP model in project designs Head of Programmes 2026/12 Not Initiated
Recommendation: Scale up the project to all settlements and focus on self-sustaining, private-sector-driven interventions, such as Savings and Credit Cooperatives (SACCOs), agro-input and financial institutions and value chain linkages, to boost agricultural productivity, entrepreneurship and market linkages.
Management Response: Management accepts the recommendation and remains committed to the shift toward scaling up market-driven interventions that are sustainable. While immediate expansion is limited due to funding constraints, the CO is actively integrating the recommended Private Sector-driven approaches into ongoing resource mobilization efforts. The CO will, moreover, continue to prioritize transformative shifts into non-traditional /male-dominated livelihoods that are market oriented. By embedding these models into current designs, we ensure that as funding is secured, the project is fully positioned for sustainable scale-up.
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Description: Scale up the project to all settlements and focus on self-sustaining, private-sector-driven interventions, such as Savings and Credit Cooperatives (SACCOs), agro-input and financial institutions and value chain linkages, to boost agricultural productivity, entrepreneurship and market linkages. Scale up EFA, SCE and non-traditional livelihoods to reach more adolescent mothers and out-of-school girls. Train communities in non-traditional sectors like carpentry, bricklaying, and mechanics to dismantle occupational gender stereotypes. This enables transformative shifts in economic opportunity and self-reliance.
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Women peace and security, humanitarian action & disaster risk reduction
Operating Principles: Not applicable
Organizational Priorities: Operational activities
UNEG Criteria: Effectiveness
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Engage private sector in resource mobilisation to support scale of LEAP to other settlements GIHA Program Specialist 2026/12 Initiated
Recommendation: Provide start-up kits/capital to trained people as a catalytic investment to enable them to utilise acquired skills, and prioritise the most vulnerable women such as PWDs. Provide alternative support mechanisms such as links to other IPs or programmes providing grants or low-interest loans.
Management Response: Management takes note of the recommendation, and this will be integral in future project designs. Additionally, the CO has already secured some catalytic funding from UNFCU to support selected Second Chance Education beneficiaries in Adjumani district with start-up resources to ensure sustainability as mentioned above. Partnerships with financial institutions and other implementing partners will be explored to expand access to grants and low-interest loans for vulnerable women, including women with disabilities.
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Description: Provide start-up kits/capital to trained people as a catalytic investment to enable them to utilise acquired skills, and prioritise the most vulnerable women such as PWDs. Provide alternative support mechanisms such as links to other IPs or programmes providing grants or low-interest loans.
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Women peace and security, humanitarian action & disaster risk reduction
Operating Principles: Capacity development
Organizational Priorities: Operational activities
UNEG Criteria: Effectiveness
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Provide start up kits to beneficiaries GIHA Program Specialist 2026/12 Initiated
Recommendation: Scale up LEAP II's gender-transformative approaches to challenge harmful gender norms, with strong components such as SASA and the Gender Action Learning System (GALS), as behaviour change takes time.
Management Response: SASA and GALS methodologies will remain core components in future project designs to address harmful gender norms and promote male engagement. Expansion will depend on funding availability. The CO will continue to integrate gender-transformative elements into ongoing interventions to ensure long-term behavior change and sustainability.
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Description: Scale up LEAP II's gender-transformative approaches to challenge harmful gender norms, with strong components such as SASA and the Gender Action Learning System (GALS), as behaviour change takes time. Scale up male engagement and engagement of cultural, religious, and community leaders as allies to foster a supportive environment, reduce gender pushback among some men, and promote shared decision-making without undermining male roles, ensuring sustainable gender equality outcomes.
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Women peace and security, humanitarian action & disaster risk reduction
Operating Principles: Not applicable
Organizational Priorities: Operational activities
UNEG Criteria: Effectiveness
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Mobilize resources to enable the CO to expand on SASA and GALS methodology in addressing social norms GIHA Program Specialist 2026/12 Initiated
Recommendation: Reduce bureaucratic procedures that delay fund disbursement and ensure timely report submission and accountability by implementing partners (IPs).
Management Response: The Country Office (CO) will leverage UN Women’s Fast-Track Procedures, where applicable in crisis contexts, to expedite partner onboarding, contracting and disbursement processes while maintaining compliance with corporate risk management standards.
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Description: Reduce bureaucratic procedures that delay fund disbursement and ensure timely report submission and accountability by implementing partners (IPs).
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Women peace and security, humanitarian action & disaster risk reduction
Operating Principles: Oversight/governance
Organizational Priorities: Operational activities
UNEG Criteria: Efficiency
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Fast-Track partner onboarding for more timely and localised responses in dynamic crisis settings. Agile partner engagement is essential for emergency relevance and impact. Yusrah Nagujja 2026/12 Not Initiated
Recommendation: Adopt flexible financial planning and timely budget revisions to respond to market volatility and to incorporate risk buffers in future.
Management Response: Management acknowledges the recommendation. Under the current Strategic Note (2026–2030), enhanced flexible financial planning measures are being institutionalized. Future project budgets will incorporate provisions for inflation and foreign exchange fluctuations, phased disbursements and contingency planning. Where feasible, the CO will explore phased or staggered contracts to maintain core technical capacity during funding transitions, subject to resource availability.
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Description: Adopt flexible financial planning and timely budget revisions to respond to market volatility and to incorporate risk buffers in future. Maintain a core technical team through phased or staggered contracts and ensure continuity of key staff during funding transitions.
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Women peace and security, humanitarian action & disaster risk reduction
Operating Principles: Oversight/governance
Organizational Priorities: Operational activities
UNEG Criteria: Efficiency
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Include budgeting provisions for inflation and foreign exchange fluctuations Finance Officer 2026/12 Initiated
Recommendation: Support system strengthening for MGLSD and LGs to deliver social services. Strengthen the localisation agenda and advocate for multi-year institutional and financial support to Women Lead Organisations (WLOs).
Management Response: Management agrees with the recommendation. Depending on funding availability, UN Women will support system strengthening for the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development (MGLSD) and Local Governments by providing targeted technical assistance, strengthening coordination mechanisms, integration of gender equality priorities into national and district frameworks, and enhancing institutional capacity for inclusive and gender-responsive service delivery. This will include supporting policy development and review, facilitating gender responsive planning and budgeting processes, and building the technical skills of MGLSD and LG officials through training, mentorship, and peer learning platforms. UN Women will also leverage existing partnerships with sector ministries, development partners, and women’s organizations to ensure that system-strengthening efforts are sustainable, evidence based, and aligned with national frameworks such as the National Development Plan and the Gender Equality Architecture. In addition, UN Women will integrate monitoring, evaluation, and learning components to help MGLSD and LGs track progress and continuously improve service delivery for women and girls. Engagement with District Local Governments and refugee leadership structures will remain central to sustainability. UN Women will continue to advocate for multi-year institutional support to Women-Led Organizations (WLOs) and strengthen localization approaches.
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Description: Support system strengthening for MGLSD and LGs to deliver social services. Strengthen the localisation agenda and advocate for multi-year institutional and financial support to Women Lead Organisations (WLOs). Strengthen the involvement of the DLGs and refugee leaders to enhance sustainability, since they remain in communities. Strengthen public-private partnerships (PPPs) for sustainability, driving innovation and co-financing long-term solutions in refugee settings. Ensure all partnerships align with gender equality principles and uphold humanitarian standards.
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Women peace and security, humanitarian action & disaster risk reduction
Operating Principles: National ownership, Innovation and technology
Organizational Priorities: Partnership
UNEG Criteria: Sustainability
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Strengthening localization approaches and advocating for multi‑year institutional support to Women‑Led Organizations (WLOs). GIHA Program Specialist 2026/12 Not Initiated
Recommendation: Strengthen male inclusion and involvement of cultural and religious leaders in women's empowerment programs to increase support.
Management Response: Future project designs will continue to integrate of GALs and SASA methodologies as core approaches to enhancing male involvement and fostering advocacy among cultural and religious leaders in transforming restrictive social norms that undermine women’s empowerment. Implementation of this aspiration and scale of intervention will however, will depend on availability of funding.
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Description: Strengthen male inclusion and involvement of cultural and religious leaders in women's empowerment programs to increase support.
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Women peace and security, humanitarian action & disaster risk reduction
Operating Principles: Alignment with strategy, Promoting inclusiveness/Leaving no one behind
Organizational Priorities: Engaging men and boys
UNEG Criteria: Human Rights, Gender equality
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Include GALS and SASA! components in project theory of change, activity design, and budgeting GIHA Program Specialist 2026/12 Not Initiated