Speaking during the event, Mr. Sadek, who is also the current Chair of the DGF Board, recognised the DGF’s many achievements, saying “Without DGF partners’ hard work, hundreds of thousands of people would not have had access to a lawyer, victims of conflict would not have been treated and citizens would not have had critical access to information”.

During twelve years of operation, the DGF supported over 85 state and non-state partners to strengthen democracy, protect human rights, improve access to justice, and enhance accountability.

Funding came from Austria, Denmark, the European Union, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden, as well as the United Kingdom – who contributed until 2017. DGF-supported projects aligned with Uganda’s Vision 2040, National Development Plans and the SDGs, covering all regions of Uganda. Key achievements of the programme since 2018 include:

➢ Legal aid provided to over 350,000 people, including those facing land disputes and domestic violence.

➢ 15,000 individuals, including conflict victims, received treatment and counselling.

➢ Over 14,000 women representatives were helped to engage in decision-making structures.

➢ Over 5,000 public forums held where citizens interacted with government representatives to influence laws and policies.

➢ Over 6,000 recommendations from citizens or civil society organisations taken on board by elected

representatives.

Emmanuel Gyezaho (EU Photo)

These examples are just a fraction of the achievements of the DGF, which resulted in improved governance, human rights protection, access to justice and delivery of services for many Ugandans. Speaking at the closure event, representatives of DGF Partners expressed appreciation for the support provided by the DGF, including in bringing together state and non-state partners, supporting institutional strengthening and capacity-building, and taking forward the cross-cutting issues of

gender, youth and human rights. The DGF is proud to have engaged with committed partners. Our support went beyond funding for project implementation to include institutional capacity-building and strengthening of partners. We are confident that many partners are in a better institutional position after receiving support from the DGF. It is our hope that all our partners will continue engaging and achieving positive impact and results, including by improving lives of people across Uganda.

Yesterday's event also featured the first screening of the DGF Story, a set of mini documentaries highlighting the impact of the programme and featuring the stories of women and men whose lives were improved through support received from DGF partners. The DGF Story will be published on a DGF YouTube channel in the coming weeks.

See in full below: