UGANDA NATIONAL NGO FORUM 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 organization that would wholly represent CSOs while bringing together National NGOs, International NGOs, CBOs, Voluntary Development Organizations (VDOs), and Farmers# Groups, Cooperative Associations and other Citizens# Organizations 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, operationaliseda code of conduct, amended the Constitution by re-mobilizing members, developed a three year rights-based Strategic Plan, and set up district forums for support at district level and to the Secretariat.
Currently, UNNGOF brings together 630 member organizations across the country. As a platform organization, UNNGOF has over the last 20 years UNNGOF has built capacity to convene diverse organizations to work on various collective initiatives. Further, it has also established itself as a credible partner with various government agencies where it plays a representational role forcivil society. Gender integration is an issue that we take seriously and forall our program activities we ensure that women and men are well represented.
2. ACHIEVEMENTS
What have been the principal results in the past three years that contribute to significant, structural, sustained and positive improvement in the lives of men, women, girls and boys suffering from poverty, injustice, insecurity and exclusion?
Coordinating Civil Society Policy Advocacy
Over the last three years, there was increased participation of civil society in policy formulation. The first ever monitoring survey of the Vision 2040 was launched in 2014 and reached over 1000 households through the national survey in all districts of Uganda. UNNGOF coordinated Civil society input in the development of the second National Development Plan and over 10 issues papers were shared with the government. UNNGOF worked closely with civil society in the post 2015 agenda that led to the development of the Sustainable Development Goals. This process reached over 4000 citizens across Uganda and civil society voice was present in the global collective messaging on the post 2015 agenda in New York as well as civil society work nationally. This work has anchored UNNGOF in the policy arena inUganda. This is evident from UNNGOF#s representational role on major policy committees in the Office of the Prime Minister, National Planning Authority and Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social development.
Supporting the work of Sub-National Civil Society
UNNGOFhas offered leadership to civil Society at the sub-national level through the collective organizing around civil society issues of a cross cutting nature. We have been instrumental in bringing together civil society under campaigns like Black Mondayand the development of the National Development Plan as well as linking civil society to national policy agenda. The sub-national level today boasts of several organisations that are seen as strong Civil society leaders in their regions with most of themlinked to the investmentand partnership that UNNGOF has developed through the support to Advocacy Networks infrastructure as well as the work we have continued to spearhead under the Citizen Manifesto.

Civic engagement on Civic Space
UNNGOF has been aproactive convener and interlocutorin many processes hat bring together Civil Society and decision makers at various levels. At the local level , the citizen manifesto has provided such a space for citizen-leader interactions. At the national level we have been instrumental in convening meetings between the Minster of Internal affairs and civil society leaders on several topical issues. These processes have created avenues forbuilding confidence among civil society and government and political leaders onmatters of mutual interest.

3.    INSTITUTIONAL PURPOSE
Mission: What is the current purpose of the organisation?

To provide a sharing and reflection platform for Non-governmental Organisations (NGOs) to influence governance and development processes in Uganda and enhance their operating environment.
Institutional objectives: What are the principal changes the organisation seeks to achieve over the long term?
a) A strong and well coordinated civil society sector with information and capacity to effectively engage in and contribute to development processes.
b) Citizens with a greater awareness of their own situation, mobilised, informed and actively participating in policy, governance and development processes.
c) Civic space and CSO operating environment influenced positively at the local and global level and influencing citizen engagement in governance processes.
d) Citizen responsive government policy and practice alternatives generated through evidence building and advocacy at all levels.
e) A dynamic UNNGOF identity and presence built in Uganda and across East Africa and globally through our results, learning and communication as well imaginative knowledge brokering.
f) Cost-efficient support to the secretariat that fosters an institutional culture of optimal re-source use that better enables UNNGOF to accomplish its objectives.

Field(s) of activity: What are the principal thematic and geographic areas in which the organisation works?  Who are the social actors that benefit from the work?
UNNGOF is a national platform and its work is anchored on two broad intervention areas of civil society strengthening and Influencing Development Policy and Practice. We therefore undertake activities in three complementary program components. Thesecomponents are supported by two functions which include; a) Results, learning and Communication and b) Corporate Services
Policy Advocacy and State Engagement Under this programme component, we focus on effectively coordinating NGOs engagement on multi-stakeholder and multi-sectoral policy processes-NDPs, National Level Budget Analysis, Aid and Development Effectiveness, 2030 Agenda and EAC among others.
Civic Space and governance monitoring. This component area we seek to influence internal and external operating environment issues of CSOs and ensure a positive environment for NGO operations and citizen engagement in governance processes. The focus is on coordination of NGO legislation efforts; promoting enabling environment and monitoring governanceprocesses through initiative like the Citizen Manifesto-
Civil Society Strengthening Under this intervention area, UNNGOF will continue to provide capacity development initiatives in several ways. These will include; work related to strengthening BoardsofDirectors of CSOs organizations, work with Women Leaders in civil society as well as general capacity development work for organizations.  Evaluation results of the last strategic plan indicate that there is a need for more innovation in the area ofcapacity development so that it creates more impact and is more relevant to our members and constituencies.  We shall, therefore, seek to develop initiatives with universities and otherinstitutions of higher learning.
While UNNGOF is a national platform, italso hosts the Support Program for Advocacy Networks that brings together 35 District Networks with a combined reach to 3000 civil society organizations across the country.  The infrastructure described above gives us the leverage to be able to reach millions and work with a diversity of organizations including those in underserved areas.

4. STRATEGIC POSITIONING
Analyse the environment in which the organisation works? Who are the other relevant social actors, including government and business, and what roles do they play? In this context, what is unique about the position of theorganisation?
UNNGOF operates in an environment where citizens are debased as these focus on individual politicians rather than public service delivery institutions. This focuson individuals rather than institutions fuels both political patronage and elite patronage which affects quality service delivery and government accountability.
For civil society, these challenges constrain civil space and citizen participationin state politics and lead to the emergence of a #debased citizenry#. The effect of this individual merit hangover on Uganda#s citizen-state relationship is therefore a context that limits citizen engagement, participation and even appreciation of political diversity.
UNNGOF has a number of partners and collaborators and these include; District Networks - collaborate in the area of programming and expanding our work to reach millions of citizens; National Networks and NGOs - collective advocacy on issues of national interest - like the National Budget, the NGO Law, the Sustainable Development Goals and the Vision 2040; Media-toamplify our voice and disseminate our issues to all partners in government and outside government; Citizen groups: Get feedbackon issues that affect their livelihood to be relayed to policy makers and implementers and Government which is a key advocacy target forour work on influencing development policies and practice.
UNNGOF#s niche is its character. UNNGOF is a platform anda leaderin collective advocacy initiatives.  While many organizations can do policy advocacy, it takes organizations with the capacity to convene other organizations to have an impact on government policies that are nation-wide.  As a platform organization we aretherefore the #go-to# organization for Government institutions, civil society organizations, donors and citizens group that would like to generate collective positions, engage in coordinated collective advocacy and for reaching millions of citizens.  Italso plays a representational role for civil society in a number of state institutions such as   the National Planning Authority, Office of the Prime Minister implementation committees, the Accountability Sector Working Group and the  Ministry of Gender,Labourand Social Development.