Summary:
- The MOU, effective immediately, outlines several key objectives aimed at strengthening cooperation between the parties in Early Warning and Early Response.
KAMPALA: The Republic of Uganda, through the Department of Disaster Preparedness in the Office of the Prime Minister, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Eastern Africa Standby Force (EASF) on Wednesday.
The agreement focuses on Early Warning and Early Response activities and programs.
The signing ceremony took place at Hotel Africana, concluding a collaborative meeting between EASF and various Early Warning Agencies in Uganda.
Brigadier General Mwanje Ssekiranda, Chief of Staff-Reserve Force, who represented the Chief Joint Staff, emphasized the importance of early intervention in preventing and resolving conflicts.
“Early intervention is crucial in mitigating the escalation and spread of conflicts, ultimately saving lives and preventing damage to property and infrastructure,” he stated.
He noted that early warning is a vital tool for conflict prevention, established within EASF in alignment with United Nations and African Union policies, with full support from member states.
“To enhance our early warning mechanisms with various initiatives, and more importantly, to align with international standards, is essential. This will enable us to deliver accurate, tailored solutions to provide peace and security, and to manage various conflict situations in our region,” Brig. Gen. Mwanje added.
Brigadier General Domitien Kabisa, Head of Peace Support Operations at the EASF Secretariat, expressed satisfaction with the meeting’s outcomes.
“The EASF participants have enriched our understanding through the wealth of experiences they’ve shared. Uganda has provided us with much more than we anticipated, and this commitment has been key to the program’s success,” he said.
The MOU, effective immediately, outlines several key objectives aimed at strengthening cooperation between the parties in Early Warning and Early Response.
It also focuses on preventing, managing, and resolving crises, and laying the groundwork for sustainable peace and socio-economic development in Uganda and the Eastern Africa Region.
The objectives include; Ensuring effective cooperation and partnerships for timely crisis response, Exchanging information and data on conflict prevention and crises, Building and strengthening capacities in Early Warning and Early Response, Conducting joint research and assessments in Early Warning and Sharing experiences and lessons learned in Early Warning and Early Response
The document also establishes operative principles and guidelines, identifies areas of synergy and potential collaboration, shares best practices, explores joint capacity-building initiatives, establishes protocols for information and intelligence exchange, defines roles and responsibilities, identifies communication focal points, and establishes mechanisms for dispute resolution and provisions for amendment.
