Uganda’s National SDG Secretariat is steadily reshaping the country’s development trajectory by strengthening coordination mechanisms that prioritize inclusivity, performance, and alignment with international frameworks.
Housed within the Office of the Prime Minister, the Secretariat has become the cornerstone of Uganda’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) implementation since its establishment in 2019.
Its creation followed a recommendation from the Auditor General, recognizing the need for a centralized body to guide SDG-related planning and execution.
The Secretariat employs a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach to coordination, ensuring that all relevant actors—from ministries to communities—play a role in the implementation process.
Currently, five active technical working groups drive progress in key thematic areas: planning and mainstreaming, financing, data, communication, and monitoring and evaluation.
As a result of this framework, Uganda has successfully integrated 95% of all SDG targets into its Third National Development Plan (NDPIII) and now fully into NDPIV, ensuring that national development efforts remain inclusive and result-oriented.
Progress is rigorously tracked through annual SDG progress reports, Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs), and localized monitoring systems designed to reflect real-time community needs.
Key publications such as the 2023 SDG Progress Report and the 2024 Leave No One Behind Analysis have become instrumental in guiding evidence-based policy decisions across multiple sectors.
Beyond coordination and reporting, the Secretariat has also taken the lead in national advocacy.
It has successfully convened three national SDG Conferences, with the most recent held in June 2024, focusing on localization and performance metrics.
Uganda has also demonstrated its global leadership by presenting three Voluntary National Reviews at the United Nations, signaling its strong commitment to the 2030 Agenda.
A major highlight of 2025 was Uganda’s hosting of the Eleventh Session of the Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development in April.
The forum resulted in the landmark Kampala Declaration, which calls for integrating the African Union’s Agenda 2063, reforming development financing systems, and enhancing data accountability.
These priorities are already being operationalized by the Secretariat in collaboration with key partners—including Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), the SDG Private Sector Platform, development partners, civil society organizations (CSOs), academia, and community actors.
As global dialogues move forward, Uganda continues to align its national strategies with international frameworks such as the Pact for the Future.
In this context, the Secretariat is unwavering in its commitment to fostering evidence-based, inclusive, and accountable development that leaves no one behind.
