Our Advocacy Priorities

Our advocacy focuses on three key areas
 

1. Social and Cultural Norm Change

We advocate for changes in harmful social and cultural norms that limit the rights, opportunities and participation of women and girls. This includes addressing norms and practices that create barriers to:

• Women's economic empowerment, including access to and control over resources, livelihoods, land and economic opportunities.

• Equal access to health care, including the social and cultural barriers that prevent women and girls from accessing appropriate health and reproductive health services.

• Women's meaningful participation and leadership, including their participation in household, community and public decision-making.

• Prevention and response to gender-based violence, by challenging attitudes and practices that normalise violence, discrimination and unequal power relations.

• Girls' education, including equal access to school, continued attendance and completion, where social expectations and early marriage may limit their opportunities.

• Protection of children's rights, including harmful practices and attitudes that undermine children's safety, dignity, development and access to services.
   

We engage communities and influential leaders to question harmful practices, promote positive alternatives and create environments where women and girls can participate, lead and exercise their rights.
 

2. Localisation and Locally Led Action

NUWOSO advocates for a more locally led humanitarian and development system in which local organisations and affected communities have meaningful voice, leadership and influence in decisions that affect them.
 

Our localisation advocacy promotes stronger recognition of local knowledge and capacities, equitable partnerships, meaningful participation of local actors in coordination and decision-making, and greater investment in locally led solutions.
 

Through our leadership and participation in coordination platforms, including the Charter for Change and the Acholi Humanitarian Platform, we bring local perspectives into wider discussions on humanitarian action and the Humanitarian–Development–Peace Nexus. We advocate for approaches that place communities and local actors at the centre of identifying priorities, designing solutions, implementing responses and measuring change.
 

3. Human Rights, Protection and Good Governance

NUWOSO advocates for the protection, promotion and fulfilment of human rights, particularly the rights of women and Girls, children and other vulnerable groups.

We advocate for the implementation and enforcement of laws, policies and standards that protect people from violence, discrimination and exclusion. We promote accountability among duty bearers and advocate for responsive institutions, equitable access to services, protection systems and good governance.
 

Our work includes advocacy on women's rights, children's rights, gender equality, protection from violence and exploitation, access to justice and Health, accountability, participation and inclusion.
 

We engage communities and duty bearers to understand rights and responsibilities, identify gaps in implementation and take action to address violations and barriers to services. We use community dialogue, evidence, stakeholder engagement, coordination platforms and policy advocacy to bring issues from communities into decision-making spaces.

Engagement with stakeholders at all levels, from district local governments to international development partners and UN agencies, is key to our advocacy strategy. We provide evidence-based reports and policy recommendations that influence decision-making processes. By bridging the gap between community realities and policy frameworks, to ensure that the needs of Uganda's women are prioritized on the national agenda.

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