The Uganda Parliamentary Forum of Social Protection (UPFSP) has urged the government to increase financing for social protection for more people who are vulnerable to risks and shocks.

Emmanuel Ongiertho, the Vice Chairperson of UPFSP, made these remarks while addressing the press at the Uganda Media Centre in Kampala on Monday, September 30, 2024.

“With intensifying shocks, there is need for expanded and sustained financing to extend social protection to more people that are vulnerable to risks and shocks,” Ongiertho said.

According to Onigiertho, the main objectives of Social Protection Month and National Dialogue 2024 are to increase awareness and understanding of social protection among the different stakeholders at the national and sub-national levels.

He further said that other objectives are to position social protection as an enabler for human capital development and the ten-fold growth strategy to foster collaboration and knowledge exchange on best practices, innovations, and challenges related to social protection.

Onigiertho said that the current population growth rate is 3.2%, surpassing the state’s capacity to deliver essential services such as healthcare, education, housing, and employment.

“Increasing the population’s exposure to poverty risk and vulnerability, and Uganda’s human capital remains underdeveloped with a human capital index of a low future potential for labor at 0.4%,” he said.

Additionally, he stated that Uganda’s social protection coverage is still very low, standing at 1.3%, while only 0.3% (excluding healthcare) of the GDP is allocated for financing social protection.

“This is one of the lowest in the region compared to our neighbors such as Kenya at 1.4%, Tanzania at 2.5%, and Rwanda at 1.3%, all excluding healthcare as per the World Social Protection Report 2024 by the ILO,” Ongiertho stated.

The Social Protection Month will be held in October 2024 under the theme Social Protection as an Enabler for Human Capital Development across the Life Cycle.

The Social Security Protection Month will be characterized by a series of activities, events, and campaigns that will enable multiple stakeholders and the general public at both national and sub-national levels, culminating in a national dialogue held in Kampala.

The national dialogue brings together stakeholders from various sectors to discuss and advance social protection strategies and initiatives in the country.