Uganda: EU Opposes Annual NGO Registration

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[12 May 2006] - The European Union has expressed concern about a new law passed in Uganda which requires all non-governmental organisations to renew their registration regularly with the Ministry of Internal Affairs. 

The Head of the European Union Commission Delegation, Mr Sigurd Illing, told journalists that the Non-Governmental Organisations Registration Amendment Bill, which was passed by the Ugandan Parliament last month, was "superfluous" and "unnecessary."
"We have not quite understood what the reason for this could be because our feeling was that NGOs are already duly registered and that should be sufficient. Why should this now be reviewed?" he asked.

Civil society organisations have opposed the new law, saying it will be used to suppress NGOs, which are critical of the government's handling of public policy matters.

Illing, who was the keynote speaker at a workshop on the EU strategy for Africa, and its impact on civil society in East Africa, expressed solidarity with the country’s civil society organisations.

Also speaking at the workshop, which was organised by a consortium of Austrian development NGOs called Horizont 3000, the Austrian Ambassador, Mr Franz Breitwieser, and Horizont 3000 Director, Mr George Sticker, said that NGOs were vital to the development process "because they are much closer to communities."

pdf: http://allafrica.com/stories/200605110782.html

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Uganda
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