I.Furthering Water and Sanitation As a Human Right

The Republic of Uganda

Positions for the General Assembly Plenary

I.Furthering Water and Sanitation as a Human Right

The Republic of Uganda recognizes water as human right, as Uganda has signed onto several charters and treaties that proclaim this stance.[1] The Constitution of the Republic of Uganda has an article that proclaims that Uganda’s citizens have a right to water and health.1President Museveni and the Uganda Ministry of Water and Environment has complied in receiving funds from the African Development Bank to use to sanitize the water in Uganda for both domestic use and irrigation for farming.2 The continent of Africa is deemed to have major issues with water sanitation, but the Republic of Uganda has been recognized as “forward-thinking” in realizing the connection between poor water sanitation and unsafe schooling environments.3 As of 2018, in the Republic of Uganda, 61% of Ugandan citizens cannot access safe water and 75% cannot access improved sanitation facilities.4 Population growth has prevented the Republic of Uganda from adequately increasing water sanitation in proportion to the population, despite the increase in economic growth.4 In 1990 only 11% of rural Ugandans were able to access improved water sanitation facility, then grew to 17% of rural Ugandans in 2015.5 In review of the previously mention facts, Uganda’s water and sanitation facilities are unsatisfactory, despite their gradual growth. Given that the Republic of Uganda has complied in receiving assistance from the African Development Bank to improve the water and sanitation conditions in Uganda, the Republic of Uganda will want further funding to continue progressing. The Republic of Uganda is currently moving on to the Water Supply and Sanitation Program II that will install large gravity flows, with the African Development Bank assistance.1 The Republic of Uganda asks for more support in the effort to ensure water and sanitation as a human right.

II. Confronting Radiological Security Challenges with Advanced Detection Solutions

As a landlocked country in East Africa, where there is a high number of regional extremists and terrorist organizations members’, there is a great potential that those groups will try to use radiological weapons for future acts of terrorism. Uganda is highly mindful of the consequences to using Weapons of Mass Disruption(WMD). Therefore, Uganda understands and appreciates its position as a member state whose ready to help nationally, regionally, and internationally to tackle and put an end to radiological security threats. Internationally, Uganda is a committed member of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and many other conventions regarding chemical and biological weapons because Uganda understands the tremendous risks and consequences of WMD/Radiological Dispersal Devices (RDD). However, Uganda is not part of the Knowledge Management System (KMS) which enhances the detection of radiological threats, because the KMS is only implemented in Southeast Europe, Caucasus, and North Africa. Regionally, the majority of the African countries participation in legal regimes governing chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) weapons is often marginalized due to lack of capacity and resources. Uganda specifically is a signatory of the African Nuclear-Weapon-Free-Zone (ANWFZ) Treaty. Additionally, Uganda tires to work hardly with regional countries to tackle this issue using foreign help. As in 2013, the Pentagon equipped Uganda and Kenya against WMD threats, being the first to any African government. Furthermore, African countries are trying to be more constructively engaged in international forums on CBRN, even though this issue is greatly threating African states currently, however, securing the materials used for WMD/RDD will make substantial resources available for humanitarian use. Nationally, because securing CBRN threats in Africa is the responsibility of African states first. Therefore, in 2017, Uganda started cooperatively working with UNDP to equip Uganda’s first responders to respond to chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear disasters. To this end, Uganda urges member states to cooperatively start working together to put an end to the threat and security challenges imposed by chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear weapons; this can happen by developing appropriate mechanisms that can be applicable to all states that vary in resources, capacities, and expertise, work on implementing the KMS in all member states as it is the primary e-learning platform to detect radiological threats globally, and require developed member states to provide help and resources for developing states where there is a higher concentration and abundance of radiological resources, so that the wrong hands will not fall on those resources causing a global security threat.

[1]Initiative for Social and Economic Rights. (2014). The right to water in Uganda: Perspectives in the district of Kayunga. Retrieved from

2 The State House of Uganda. (2018). President commissions water project, urges for environment preservation. Retrieved from

3Melik, J. (2011). Poor sanitation stifles economic growth. British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved from

4 Water.org. (2018). Uganda. Retrieved from

5 The Water Trust. (2015). Progress on sanitation and drinking water 2015 update. Retrieved from