Uganda Champions women’s leadership on global stage at World Parliamentarians Forum

What the report says

Uganda’s Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Thomas Tayebwa, used a gathering of women lawmakers in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, to showcase the country’s progress in expanding women’s leadership roles. According to The Independent Uganda, he is leading a Ugandan delegation at the World Women Parliamentarians Forum, where he outlined measures Uganda says it has taken since 1986 to increase women’s participation in public life.

Tayebwa highlighted women’s presence in Parliament and Cabinet, saying women hold 187 of 529 parliamentary seats and account for 49% of the Cabinet. He also pointed to senior offices currently held by women, including the vice president, prime minister and two deputy prime ministers. The report says he linked these gains to constitutional affirmative action policies and to budgeting tools supported by the Equal Opportunities Commission, aimed at giving women and other marginalized groups more say in government programmes.

At the same time, Tayebwa cautioned that numbers alone do not guarantee real influence. He said the broader test is whether women can shape laws, policies, budgets and other decisions. The forum, which runs October 12–13, is taking place under the theme “From Representation to Influence in the Decision-Making Process” and brings together parliamentarians and other leaders to обмен experiences and discuss ways to strengthen women’s role in governance.

The report places Uganda’s presentation in the context of a wider international conversation about moving from descriptive representation to effective participation in decision-making.