The call was made during a meeting that was held on 6th February 2025 at Skyz Hotel, Kampala, by CCFU in partnership with the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development.
It was attended by Prime Ministers from cultural institutions who are members of the Council for Traditional Leaders in Africa (Uganda Chapter).
The meeting intended to discuss gender equality challenges in the aforementioned institutions.
Several strategies and activities aimed at addressing the challenges were discussed while reinforcing the role of cultural institutions in promoting girls’ education.
Across all cultural institutions, challenges such as gender-based violence, limited access to justice, lack of access to sexual reproductive health rights, girl child school dropout, early marriages and teenage pregnancies still exist.
Prince Lawrence Angala, the Deputy Chairperson of COTLA Uganda Chapter, noted that even though cultural institutions have taken steps to promote gender equality, there is a need for further interventions, especially in education, to achieve it.
He added that the cultural institutions can empower women and girls to promote their rights, but they need to be empowered through capacity building and funding of their initiatives.
The Prime Minister of Bunyoro-Kitara Kingdom, Owek. Andrew Byakutaga Ateenyi said that “Culture has a strong influence on our behaviors and social interactions. As cultural leaders, we must use our position to encourage positive norms and discourage harmful practices that perpetuate violence against women and children”.
During the meeting, all cultural institutions identified activities that they will implement moving forward to promote gender equality in their institutions.
Some activities will include awareness-raising campaigns and the profiling of cultural resources that address violence in communities.
The Culture for Her Project
This meeting is part of the activities of CCFU’s Culture for Her Project, which is aimed at strengthening the capacity of cultural institutions and their communities to promote and protect the fulfilment of gender equality and human rights in a culturally responsive environment in Uganda.
The project is implemented in collaboration with the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development and the Council of Traditional Leaders of Africa (COTLA) – Uganda chapter (which brings together 18 gazetted cultural institutions) and 6 district local governments of Arua, Gulu, Kitgum, Kasese, Kyegegwa and Tororo with financial support from UN Women in Uganda.
