Practical steps to integrating population issues into sub national development plans in Uganda

Edith Akiror, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Uganda

Uganda launched the 5-year National Development Plan (2010/2014/2015) in 2010. The plan contains a chapter on population and provides a framework for population analysis and integration, besides the national policy and Action plan. Therefore, all development plans and programmes – District, Sectoral and national are being aligned to NDP. UNFPA supports Districts to develop 5-year plans and integrate population issues. The processes include; review of data collection tools to facilitate bottom – up planning; sector specific population situation analyses; drafting sectoral thematic papers to ensure linkages between proposed investments and socio-demographic indicators and support prioritization of interventions versus budgets, population trends and dynamics. A readily available pool of facilitators - demographers, statisticians, planners and Economists from UBOs, POPSEC, UNFPA, MoLG; data bases in health, education, agriculture, infrastructure, gender; poverty and service delivery maps are key instruments for integration.