CHRI Newsletter

Uganda Hosts Consultation on Police Reforms

Louise Edwards
Programme Officer, Police Reforms Programme, CHRI

On 21 February 2008, CHRI partnered with the Human Rights Network Uganda (HURINET-U) and the African Policing Civilian Oversight Forum (APCOF) to facilitate a consultation on police reform in Kampala, Uganda. The event brought together civil society, members of parliament, funders and media to discuss the participation of civil society in the current police review process, report on 2007 initiatives on police reform and encourage ongoing dialogue between parliament, the police and civil society which started at an August 2007 Uganda workshop. The consultation came at an important juncture in Ugandan police reforms. With funding from the Royal Netherlands Embassy (RNE), the Uganda Police Force (UPF) is currently undertaking an internal review of it legal and operational structures with a view to commencing a wider reform process. The publication of a report into its internal review and the commencement of a reform programme will provide civil society with an important opportunity to be part of the evolution of the UPF and to demand the independent and accountable police service that Uganda deserves.

Background to February 2008 Consultation
Presently, the image of the UPF is tarnished with accusations of excessive use of force, torture and political partisanship. The increasingly blurred line between the police and military, and lack of political will and progress in implementing previous reform recommendations exacerbate the problem. This, in turn, has impacted police effectiveness and their ability to build meaningful relationships with communities. Recognising this, in August 2007 members of Ugandan civil society, the Uganda Human Rights Commission, the UPF, the diplomatic corps and media participated in a three-day discussion and training workshop on the Uganda Police Review. The outcome of the workshop was recognition of the ongoing importance of civil society and public participation in the review. Accordingly, between August and December 2007, a series of provincial consultations were held to inform regional communities of the Review and to gather input from various stakeholders.

Structure and Outcomes of Consultation
The February 2008 consultation provided an opportunity for civil society to report back on the previous year’s information gathering process and for all stakeholders to decide a common way forward in 2008.

The consultation was largely participatory with delegates responding to presentations by a number of key speakers. During the first session, delegates heard from Ms. Esther Loeffen, the Legal Sector Advisor from the RNE, who encouraged civil society to set the benchmark for a successful review and confirmed that the review process will provide space for such engagement. Next, the Hon. Betty Amongi, a Member of Parliament and Chairperson of the regional AMANI Forum expressed Parliament’s desire for an accountable UPF with mechanisms including audit rules, recruitment and promotional structures, a ‘community policing’ focus and independent civilian oversight. The Hon. Rose Namayanja, Member of Parliament, described how civil society can engage with the Parliamentary Defence and Security Committee (of which she is Chairperson) to raise policing issues. Mr. Livingston Sewanyana, the Executive Director of Uganda’s Foundation for Human Rights, made an impassioned plea for civil society, which he described as the ‘sleeping giant’, to ‘re-awake’ and actively engage with police reform. Finally, Mr. Ndifuna Mohammed, the National Coordinator of HURINET-U, provided a summary of his organisation’s upcoming report into community perceptions of the UPF.

The second session provided delegates with a comparative analysis of the value of civil society participation in the police review process, with speakers from India (CHRI), Ghana (CHRI), Nigeria (Professor E. Alemika from the University of Jos) and South Africa (APCOF). The recurring theme of the four well received presentations was the need for civil society to be persistent in their agitation for reform. As Professor Alemika noted, although the gains have been few and hard won, the last thing on civil society’s mind is to give up the cause. Building on the momentum that began at the August 2007 workshop, and the renewed enthusiasm borne of this latest consultation, the final session of the day provided participants with an opportunity to plan engagement strategies for 2008. Strategies included greater civil society engagement with the upcoming reform process, potential use of Parliamentary mechanisms (including the Parliamentary Defence and Security Committee) and the development of an advocacy training programme for regional grassroots organisations to take up the cause of police reforms.

This article is a modified version of the Uganda Police Reform Consultation Report, which is available by contacting Louise Edwards at the CHRI New Delhi office – louise@humanrightsinitiative.org.

S. African Judge as New High Commissioner for Human Rights

Navanathem (Navi) Pillay, a South African judge who served in the International Criminal Court in The Hague is the new High Commissioner for Human Rights. Judge Pillay succeeds Louise Arbour from Canada. She is the fifth UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to be appointed since the office was founded 15 years ago. She was born in 1941 and graduated from the University of Natal to do her BA and LLB after which she did her masters and Doctorate in human rights and international law from Harvard University.

News from The Pacific

Cook Islands
Cook Islands in the Pacific took an important leap forward towards transparency when they enacted the Official Information (Freedom of Information) Act in February this year. The Act gives public easy access to official information and will be administered by the Office of the Ombudsman. While many countries in the Pacific have recognised the importance of Freedom of Information in their constitutions like Papuan New Guinea, Fiji, Kiribati, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, however, till date no country except the Cook Islands have enacted this important piece of legislation in this region that helps in reducing corruption and bringing about good governance. Around 13 countries in the Commonwealth have enacted Freedom of Information law, while more than 70 countries have this legislation throughout this world.

Tonga
In a major boost to Pro democracy movement, the Tongan King George Tupou V has promised “more democracy” by announcing to give up many powers in day to day affairs of the government and leaving it in charge of the Prime Minister instead. King Tupou V became king in 2006, after succeeding his late father, but his coronation was postponed following pro democracy riots. The King is making changes to ensure monarchy is ready for polls in 2010 when most of new Parliament will be elected. The country lying in the South Pacific is one of the countries where the monarch runs the day to day affairs of the government.