The Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) has called on the government and all stakeholders to formulate policies and create more programmes to accelerate gender equality and economic empowerment ahead of International Women’s Day, slated for March 8, 2024.

This was communicated during the party’s weekly press release that took place on Wednesday, June 6, 2024, at the party headquarters, Uganda House.

The Party Spokesperson, Arach Oyat Sharon, stated that UPC observes that the provision of quality education at all levels is very important in realizing the goals of both international and national institutions as it offers life skills, thus opening up opportunities in various professions and employment in the labor market.

“Originally, women and girls used to be vulnerable in several ways, right from the local societies that defined their roles, but with vigorous campaigns and education, gender equality has been accepted and is being implemented at a fast pace by formulating policies and enacting laws to accelerate the progress of women. Now it is an acceptable practice that women can inherit, access credits or loans, and own business ventures,” Arach said.

She added that UPC also noticed that women in rural areas have had big challenges accessing health facilities, unlike those in urban areas, and yet issues like maternal deaths are still a great concern.

“We call upon the government to make reproductive and other female health issues central to social and health policy,” she added.

International Women’s Day (IWD) is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity. Significant activity is witnessed worldwide as groups come together to celebrate women’s achievements or rally for women’s equality.

UPC confirmed their active participation in International Women’s Day celebrations under the theme “Invest in Women, Accelerate Progress,” which is further broken down to the national theme, “Accelerating Gender Equality through Economic Empowerment.”