Event reports
Over 100 youth leaders from the seven major political parties in Uganda gathered at the KAS offices to launch the project aimed at building a democratic culture and strengthening leadership skills among young people. The intervention is co-sponsored by the Democratic Governance Facility, a basket fund supporting democracy initiatives in Uganda. One of the first steps of the project was the formation of the Interparty Youth Platform (IYOP), which in essence is a cooperation framework of the youth leagues of the major political parties in Uganda. The parties include: Conservative Party (CP), Democratic Party (DP) Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), Justice Forum (JEEMA), National Resistance Movement (NRM), People’s Progressive Party (PPP), and Uganda People’s Congress (UPC).
The project launch offered a cordial and often missing platform during which youth leaders from divergent political ideologies reflected on their shared vision for a better and more democratic Uganda. KAS Country Representative Dr. Angelika Klein reiterated the foundation’s commitment to supporting a systematic process of enabling young people to contribute meaningfully in the political process of their country and in nurturing future leaders. Among those present were senior leaders of the major parties including Norbert Mao, President of Uganda's oldest party, the Democratic Party, and Kibirige Mayanja, Chairman of the Justice Forum.