The UN human rights office in Kampala will officially cease operations this weekend, following the Ugandan government's decision not to renew the host country agreement under which the office operated, said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk in a statement.
The mandate of the Uganda office ended in February 2023. The sub-field offices in the cities of Gulu and Moroto in the Northern Region of Uganda closed on June 30 and July 31, respectively, followed by the final closure and exit in the capital city, Kampala, in August this year.
"I regret that our office in Uganda had to close after 18 years, during which we were able to work closely with civil society, people from various walks of life in Uganda, as well as engaging with State institutions for the promotion and protection of the human rights of all Ugandans," Turk said.
The official called on the country's authorities to ensure that the Uganda Human Rights Commission, a national human rights body, is able to operate effectively and independently, noting that it "is chronically under-funded and under-staffed."
"I urge the Ugandan government to provide the Commission with adequate human, technical and financial resources so that it may more effectively execute its important mandate," he stressed.
In early February, the Government of Uganda informed the office that it would not renew its agreement to host the UN entity. It was stressed that the country would rely on domestic institutions to protect human rights.
The closure comes amid allegations by the UN agency of human rights abuses, including unlawful detentions and extrajudicial killings, which Uganda has repeatedly denied. The body also criticized the government for introducing a new anti-LGBTQ law that prescribes the death penalty for some homosexual acts.
However, according to the Ugandan authorities, the legislation was introduced for its people, for whom homosexuality is against their national values and culture, and is not seen as a constitutional right, but as a deviation from the norm.