Global Policy Forum

By Sam Mutabazi

President Yoweri Museveni in his New Year message identifies the strategic challenges that Uganda faces, most important of which is "transforming our society from a pre-industrial to an Industrial one."

He advocates for more labour in industries rather than in agriculture, rural-urban migration, attracting foreign investments and the creation of more jobs. All this is good news to Ugandans. However, the question is how and in what time frame will this be achieved?

The right to an adequate standard of living, ensuring freedom from want, is an integral and inalienable human right affirmed in the Universal declaration on Human Rights and other international instruments.

There is unanimous recognition by the international community that human rights and development are inextricable and interdependent. The central goal of development will always be promotion of well being through poverty eradication and human development. The world would now accept that sustainable development is impossible without human rights and vice versa. An enlightened and vigorous civil society is essential.

To achieve this, however, you have to have an organised government that is committed to ensuring an adequate standard of living for it's people by meeting fundamental human needs like employment, nutrition, shelter, health care, education etc. Unfortunately, governments in Africa, including Uganda, are helpless because they cannot afford to provide all these. They are held in a web of poverty.

Over the last decade, Africa's poor economic performance in the global economy has become a great concern to African leaders and policy-makers. It has become increasingly clear to many, that unless appropriate policies and measures are adopted, not only will African countries continue to lag behind the rest of the world in economic growth and development, but the gap between this region and the rest of the world will widen beyond imaginable proportions.

Africa, and Uganda in particular, is not poor. It all depends on how a state chooses to use her resources. Widely shared economic growth depends on many factors; investing in people, transferring technology, providing essential infrastructure and creating systems of government that are open, accountable and efficient can make a difference.

UN Secretary General Kofi Anan explained the relationship between poverty and human rights better when he said: "No social phenomenon is as comprehensive in its assault on human rights as poverty. Poverty erodes or nullifies economic and social rights such as the right to health, housing, food, water, education etc. The same is true of civil and political rights such as the right to fair trial, political participation and security of the person."

Lack of basic security connotes the absence of one or more factors enabling individuals and families to assume basic responsibilities and to enjoy fundamental rights. It leads to chronic poverty when it simultaneously affects several aspects of people's lives.

President Museveni is of the view that attracting foreign investment will automatically lead to economic development in Uganda. Some liberal economists have argued that no country in the world has ever developed as a result of foreign investment. They may be right, but that should not stop Uganda from trying this strategy, as it is the only option at the moment.

Another area that needs to be enhanced is promoting good governance and establishing institutions. Good governance provides an enabling environment in ensuring human rights and development.

This is reflected for example in public management, which addresses such issues as accountability, transparency, participation, decentralisation, legislative capacity and judicial independence.

The private sector and civil society however have a unique role in promoting sustainable human development.

Another challenge that the President faces in implementing his policies is the issue of globalisation. While trade liberalisation and the creation of a rule-based mechanism under the World Trade Organisation (WTO) agreements have brought benefits to many nations and people, dismantling trade barriers and the removal of domestic protections have not always had a positive impact, particularly in poorer countries.

While globalisation provides potential for the promotion and protection of human rights through economic growth, increased wealth, greater interconnection between peoples and cultures and new opportunities for development, its benefits are not being enjoyed evenly. It is clear that poverty is still a part of the present need for more effective means of alleviating poverty given the potential for growth that globalisation comes with.

While many people are benefiting from new opportunities for travel and from new communications technology, new levels of wealth through increased trade investment and capital flows, others are being left behind in poverty effectively marginalised from the hopes that globalisation holds out.

Economic growth through free trade can increase the resources available for the realisation of human rights. However, economic growth does not automatically lead to greater promotion and protection of human rights.

The challenge posed is how to channel economic growth equitably to ensure the implementation of the right to development, fair and equal promotion of human well-being, equitable distribution of income, more and better jobs, rising wages, more gender equality and greater inclusiveness.

While the hostile global environment has weakened the capacity of African states to ensure the enjoyment of economic and social rights, it should be noted that failure of millions of Africans to enjoy their rights can not be squarely blamed on globalisation and external factors. Internal factors such as poor management, corruption, chronic planning, lack of democracy and lack of political will have also contributed to the violations of economic and social rights in Africa.

Since human rights embody universally shared values and are the common standard of achievement for all peoples and nations, President Museveni's approach to development should encompass human rights in order to achieve sustainable human development in Uganda.

The writer is a student of MA Human Rights at Makerere University.

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