Clearing House Mechanism (CHM)

NEMA on behalf of the government of Uganda received financial support from Global Environmental Facility(GEF) through United Nations Environment Program(UNEP) for the development of a National clearing House Mechanism (CHM). The Uganda Clearing House Mechanism (UG-CHM) will be a web based portal designed to facilitate information exchange and utilization amongst all stakeholders in Uganda on Biodiversity.

The Uganda Clearing House Mechanism (UG-CHM) will bring together a huge network of institutions and organisations working on biodiversity. The UG-CHM through the focal point for Uganda will be administered by a dedicated team supported by the various strategic committees established by the national focal institution for technical back-stopping and guidance A global clearing-house mechanism was established under the CBD to promote and facilitate technical and scientific cooperation globally. In the context of the CBD, the CHM designates a network of parties and partners working together to facilitate implementation of the Convention as well as access to and exchange of information on biodiversity around the world.

Conservation and Sustainable Use of the Threatened Savanna Woodland in the Kidepo Critical Landscape in North Eastern Uganda

Project title: Conservation and Sustainable Use of the Threatened Savanna Woodland in the Kidepo Critical Landscape in North Eastern Uganda

Background

Government of Uganda (GoU) through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), received financial support from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) to implement this project. The project satisfies the requirements for GEF financing under Biodiversity focal area, Strategic Objective one: Improve sustainability of Protected Area (PA) system. It seeks to strengthen protected area management within a landscape of 655,700 ha of savanna woodland in the Kidepo Critical Landscape (KCL) of North Eastern Uganda and reduce threats to biodiversity in the landscape by putting in place sustainable use management practices for wild resources. 

Connect Project

Strengthening the management Oil & Gas

POPs Project for Development of National Implementation Plan (NIP)

The National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) with technical assistance from United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and funding from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) implemented the Project for the ‘Enabling Activities for the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs): National Implementation Plan for Uganda’. The project started in July 2005 and was completed in March 2009.

Project objectives: Within the overall objective of the Stockholm Convention, which is to protect human health and the environment from POPs, the project is intended to:
1. Prepare the ground for implementation of the Convention in Uganda;
2. Assist Uganda in meeting its reporting and other obligations under the Convention; and
3. Strengthen Uganda’s national capacity to manage POPs and chemicals generally.
Download the National Implementaion Plan

UNDP-UNEP Poverty Environment Initiative (PEI)

UNDP-UNEP Poverty Environment Initiative (PEI) is part of the global United Nations Development (UNDP)-United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Poverty Environment Initiative (PEI). Overall goal: The overall goal of the project in Uganda is to build capacity in mainstreaming environmental sustainability concerns into poverty reduction strategies and other development strategies by specifically capturing the critical linkages between poverty and environment. Objectives at country level:
• Inclusion of environmental sustainability as a central objective in national development strategies, such as Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs),the National Development Plan(NDP), the District Development Plans(DDP), Sectoral Policies and Plans, the MDGs implementation plans or equivalents;
• Increasing national budget allocations to the environment;
• Building the long-term capacity of government to integrate environmental concerns into the design and implementation of development plans and programmes.

Partnership for Development of Environmental Law and Institutions(PADELIA)

NEMA implemented a Project on “Capacity Building to Alleviate Poverty through Synergistic Implementation of RIO MEAs” managed through the UNEP funded project on Partnership for Development of Environmental Law and Institutions (PADELIA). The project is aimed at increasing Uganda’s capacity to mainstream environment into development strategies in order to promote sustainable development and poverty alleviation. It is against this background that NEMA identified a Consultant to develop a Training Manual on the Application of National Environmental Laws and Policies Implementing Rio MEAs to Poverty Alleviation.

Purpose of the manual

The manual is designed based on a training needs assessment (TNA) of the target audience. Available literature were reviewed, especially study reports of the MEAs and Law project of NEMA, to identify key capacity building areas. The information is complimented with a rapid needs assessment of the target group which involved interviews and stakeholder consultations in selected districts, MEA focal points and selected environment agencies, private sector as well as civil society organizations. The key training needs may be categorized as follows:
1. Generate a common understanding of the RIO MEAs and the synergies therein
2. Assist districts to relate the global conventions to the local context/implementation level
3. Retool and re-orient the existing district personnel in the various disciplines (agriculture, fisheries, environment, enforcement, etc) towards the objectives of the RIO MEAs
4. Increase understanding and capacity to identify funding opportunities to support implementation of the RIO MEAs at the local level
5. Enhance understanding of the linkages between environment and poverty alleviation
6. Enhance understanding of the national environmental laws and policies
7. Guide district planners and decision makers to mainstream environmental laws and policies into the development agenda for poverty alleviation.
8. Assist district officials to operationalise environmental concerns at district level for poverty alleviation

Read More about PADELIA MEAs-Law Project

The (Build) Project

The project is implemented by the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) in partnership with the Conservation Strategy Fund (CSF). The Conservation Strategy Fund (CSF) is a US based non-profit organization that uses economics and strategic thinking to help conserve natural ecosystems around the globe. The program which is a 3 year project will support the on-going efforts to develop the Oil and Gas resources and NEMA by engaging the different government agencies, developers and stakeholders to create systemic conditions for infrastructure development. The program is designed to impact biodiversity conservation in the Albertine Rift to improve selection, design and mitigation of key infrastructural projects, build analytical capacity, technical knowledge and better policies, which together will determine the scale of biodiversity and social impacts of infrastructure decisions

The Payment for Ecosytem Services Project June 2010-April 2014

The Government of Uganda through the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) received financial support from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) through the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) to implement a project entitled, “Developing an Experimental Methodology for Testing the Effectiveness of Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) to Enhance Biodiversity Conservation in productive landscapes in Uganda”. This project contributes to Objective 1 of the forestry sector aimed at restoring national forest cover which in turn stabilize climate and associated ecosystem services. This in turn supports achievement of key national priority areas of livelihood improvement and restoration of degraded ecosystem.

Restoration of L.Victoria/L.Nakivale shores, R.Nile banks and Catchment Areas

The continuous encroachment and degradation of forests and the related human activities within the lake shores, river banks and catchment areas have resulted into; complete loss of tree and vegetation cover further leading to soil erosion and siltation of the water bodies thus changing their ecological, social and economic functions. The degradation has also negatively impacted on the community livelihoods by affecting the agricultural productivity due to prolonged droughts, reduced soil fertility and crop yields as well as affecting the fish yields.