Uganda National NGO Forum was launched in 1997 following two years of concerted work to develop the operational structure, a Constitution and membership recruitment program. Many NGOs had realised the need to engage Government and the donor community on policy issues and poverty concerns. Also, Government found it increasingly important to involve Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in the design and implementation of policies and programmes.

The idea to form UNNGOF was to establish an organisation that would wholly represent CSOs while bringing together National NGOs, International NGOs, CBOs, Voluntary Development Organisations (VDOs), Farmers’ Groups, Cooperative Associations and other Citizens’ Organisations and interest groups from all thematic areas.

The first General Assembly of UNNGOF was held in January of 1997 after nationwide sensitization and mass mobilization. About 1,000 NGO representatives participated and it was agreed that the Forum would create a comprehensive membership base that would meet periodically to choose and renew leadership and other governance organs in a democratic manner. Since then, UNNGOF has never wavered in providing a platform and leadership for CSOs on behalf of the poor and through time, created a neutral ground for all NGOs to constructively interact.

By 2001, UNNGOF had established policies and procedures for accountability, established formal registration for members, operationalized a code of conduct, amended the Constitution by re-mobilising members, developed a three year rights-based Strategic Plan, and set up district forums for support at district level and to the Secretariat. After a period of struggling financially, DFID committed to fund UNNGOF’s Plan for three years which resulted into implementing more activities in the areas of advocacy and capacity building for members.

Core Values

Uganda National NGO Forum’s identity and position within civil society, is defined by the following set of values:

• Social justice and equity – we will work with other NGOs to promote equality, dignity and a more just society, especially with regard to the poor and marginalised.
• Gender and diversity – we recognise the need for our work to reflect and promote respect for gender and diversity issues
• Autonomy – we must ensure that we strive for and safeguard the rights for NGOs to existence and independence at all times.
• Accountability – we hold ourselves accountable to the highest level of ethical behaviour and responsibility for our actions, while maintaining integrity in our performance.
• Collective action and solidarity – we strive for joint action and cooperation whenever justified by our mission, and stand with and by other NGOs and CSOs when they are faced with challenges in their work.
• Unity in diversity – we believe in and celebrate diversity in the NGO sector but will strive to achieve unity amongst NGOs and with other like-minded actors
• Self -sufficiency – as NGOs we strive and work towards sustainable development outcomes

Working principles

As UNNGOF team members, we honour the following working principles:

• Respect for all, appreciation of one’s limitations and mutual support
• Service orientation
• Innovation and continuous learning
• Equal Opportunity
• Integrity and honesty
• Time consciousness

Membership

Membership is open to all registered civil society organisations without discrimination on grounds of race, gender, region or religion. A subscription fee is charged for membership, which differs according to type of organisation

Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB)