Cross Cutting Issues: Gender, Youth, and Human Rights Based Approach

During the current phase of the DGF (2018-2022) gender, youth and human rights-based approach (HRBA) are considered as cross-cutting issues for mainstreaming and application by all implementing partners (IPs) at all stages and levels of the programme development and implementation. This integration is in line with Uganda’s “Vision – 2040” and “Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development”- which stipulates that “No one is left behind”.  

Youth
DGF categorises youth inclusion as a cross-cutting issue (CCI) to ensure that needs and challenges of the youth are taken into consideration during programming. The youth perspectives should be deliberately included in all project development processes to obtain their meaningful participation at all levels and structures of governance and development. Meaningful youth participation is about creating opportunities and breaking barriers that hinder the youth from being actively involved in various aspects of governance and development. Accordingly, DGF supports IPs to implement areas of interventions that target youth as; beneficiaries, collaborators, initiators, leaders, change agents, and active citizens.

Gender
For the DGF, gender as cross-cutting issue is based on recognition that, men and women, boys and girls often have different priorities, constraints and preferences with respect to development. As such, they can contribute to, and be affected differently by development interventions. In order to make men and women; boys and girls benefit equally from outcomes of our interventions, these considerations must be addressed in all program areas of intervention.

Human rights based Approach (HRBA)
HRBA at the DGF is treated as cross-cutting approach for ensuring that people are recognized as key actors in their own development rather than passive recipients of commodities and services provided by duty bearers. The emphasis is on applying HRBA principles namely, participation, accountability, equality and non-discrimination, empowerment and legality (rule of law) as stimulants for empowering communities and increasing their level of participation in development and governance. The principles promote a relationship in which duty bearers and rights holder account to each other.

Related Resources:

1. The Political Economy Analysis of Gender Equality Landscape in Uganda
2. A Matrix and Analysis of the Gender Equality Laws and Policies in Uganda
3. Gender Equality Toolkit