Uganda supported negotiations on a UN Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation to curb illicit financial flows and profit shifting.

Akena argued that education must provide practical skills to children who drop out before Primary Five, and that investment should begin with training teachers rather than simply expanding enrolment. He said UPE funding of UGX 20,000 per pupil was far below what is required to provide quality education.

The Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) party has urged government to preserve the Constitutional Square in Kampala and address chronic water shortages that have left...

Türk said evidence from destroyed sites must be preserved for ongoing legal proceedings and called for international investigators to be granted access to all parts of Gaza. Families, he added, had a right to know the fate of their relatives and the full circumstances surrounding their deaths.

On commercial diplomacy, the United States is shifting assistance toward private-sector-led growth, including efforts with Australia, Japan, New Zealand and Taiwan to connect every Pacific Islands Forum country to a trusted undersea cable network. A second Pacific Investment Summit is scheduled to be hosted in early 2027.

Failures involving agentic AI systems, he said, could disrupt essential services, fracture communications, destabilise critical infrastructure and undermine democratic institutions. Entire populations could lose access to clean water, heating and financial services.

On Indonesia’s plan for 100 gigawatts of solar capacity, Danly cautioned that actual output would be significantly lower and that countries experiencing rapidly rising electricity demand would still require dispatchable baseload power. He said the United States wanted to provide both fuel and technology for that purpose.

Dan Petrie, the Acting Chief of Staff of the Millennium Challenge Corporation, said MCC had signed a $60 million Energy Threshold Program hours earlier. The programme aims to lower high electricity costs and improve reliability by modernising the Energy Regulatory Commission, strengthening electric cooperatives, piloting smart-grid technologies and unlocking domestic capital for power infrastructure.

Türk pointed to severe restrictions on education, employment, freedom of movement and participation in public life, alongside strict dress rules and the complete exclusion of women from public decision-making. Fresh decrees issued this year make it more difficult for a woman to separate from a spouse and implicitly authorise child marriage and violence against women and children.

UPC also asked boarding schools in Kampala, Mukono, Wakiso and surrounding areas to agree to flexible payment plans with parents rather than sending children home. 

On Gaza, Türk said Israel had killed more than 1,300 Palestinians in daily strikes despite a ceasefire announced almost a year earlier, while continuing to limit humanitarian aid. He condemned proposals for the forced expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza and urged States to stop arms transfers that could be used to violate international law. 

Wadri also questioned the launch of a presidential bid by a serving military officer, saying the law requires resignation and a discharge certificate before such a candidature can be validated. He contrasted the development with remarks by the Minister for the Presidency that President Museveni would remain on the ballot from 2031 to 2036.