The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gen Jeje Abubakhar Odongo, Sam Mangusho Cheptoris, the Minister of Water and Environment, together with H.E. Dr. S. Jaishankar the Minister of External Affairs of the Republic of India have Tuesday 11, participated in the virtual groundbreaking ceremony of a solar powered piped drinking water supply systems funded by India Exim Bank in Uganda.
The project will provide safe and sustainable water supply to half a million Ugandans across 20 rural districts.
This is part of the External Affairs Minister, three-day official visit to Uganda whose main objective is to further bolster the excellent cordial bilateral relations between both countries.
In a tweet, the EAM also said he is looking forward to productive discussions to take forward South-South cooperation.
In his remarks, General Jeje Odongo asked Jaishankar and his government to consider the request to grant landing rights to Uganda Airlines to enable the direct exchange of goods and faster movement of travellers to/from both countries.
Odongo said Uganda and India share a strong relationship where a number of MoUs have been signed in various areas of cooperation that have further consolidated and strengthened the bilateral relations.
He said both countries have worked closely in the multilateral arena on regional and international issues.
“Furthermore, we are committed to the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in its entirety and to achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as we commence the decade of action and delivery of sustainable development, encapsulated in Uganda’s National Development Plans,” Odongo noted.
He added that Uganda is ready to strengthen bilateral and multilateral cooperation on issues of climate change, human rights, refugees and social development.
He said Uganda, like the rest of Africa, supports a comprehensive reform of the United Nations and the UN Security Council in particular.
“We believe that UNSC should be more representative and democratic and its reform should increase membership to reflect a fair geographical representation as well as changes in its working methods and the decision-making processes.”
Uganda, as a Member of the African Union Committee of Ten countries (C-10) on UNSC Reform, supports the African position, as highlighted by the Ezulwini Consensus of 2005.
Africa demands for two permanent seats on the UNSC with veto powers (if the current permanent members retain the veto), as well as two more additional seats (a total five) non-permanent seats, in order to address the historical injustices.
Non-Aligned Movement
He revealed that Uganda will host the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit in January 2024 and also assume Chairmanship.
Odongo noted that Ugandan is looking forward to sharing experiences and working closely with India, given its experience in chairing the past NAM in 2013.
“I would like to thank the Government of India for the generous offer of ten (10) executive buses to Uganda which will be used for the transportation of VIP delegates,” he noted.
Regional Peace and Security
Odongo said Uganda has been actively involved in peace and stabilization processes in the region especially the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), InterGovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) on the situation in South Sudan, the International Conference of the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) on DRC, as well as the Nairobi Process (East African Standby Force deployment in Eastern DRC), among others.
As a result, Uganda under the leadership of President H.E. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, has played a key role in promoting and maintaining regional peace and stability based on the principle of ‘Peace Trinity’ i.e. Country, Region, International Community, the Minister elaborated.
On Economic Cooperation, he said India remains a strong and reliable partner in Uganda’s quest for industrial development and overall economic transformation.
He noted that India is also one of the leading sources of Uganda’s imports, adding, “Uganda appreciates the access provided for some of our agriculture products such as coffee and recently the powdered milk which was granted access in February this year. We further request India through its vibrant private sector to consider expanding its importation of products from Uganda such as coffee, cocoa and dried leguminous vegetables, which are all organically grown.”
