Judiciary, UNICEF Strengthen Partnership to Advance Justice for Children Under New Five-Year Programme
The Judiciary and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening children’s access to justice through closer institutional collaboration under the Government of Uganda–UNICEF Country Programme (2026–2030).
The commitment was made during a meeting held at the Supreme Court in Kampala between a UNICEF delegation led by the Chief Child Protection Officer, Ms Veronica Avat, and the Judiciary’s Under Secretary, Ms Maureen Kasande.
The meeting focused on identifying strategic areas of collaboration to strengthen justice for children through institutional capacity building, improved coordination and sustainable reforms across Uganda’s justice system.
Welcoming the delegation, Ms Kasande underscored the importance of effective coordination among development partners to eliminate duplication, optimise available expertise and resources, and ensure that all interventions contribute to the Judiciary’s vision of delivering justice for all.
She noted that stronger collaboration and alignment with the Judiciary’s strategic priorities would maximise the impact of development partner support while promoting efficient and sustainable justice sector reforms.
Ms Veronica Avat explained that child protection is one of the flagship outcomes under UNICEF Uganda’s new Country Programme (2026–2030), with Justice for Children identified as a key area of collaboration with the Government of Uganda over the next five years.
She congratulated the Judiciary on the recent launch of the Administration of Justice Programme and apologised for her inability to attend the Programme Leadership Committee meeting.
Ms Avat reaffirmed UNICEF’s commitment to working closely with the Judiciary to identify priority areas where the organisation can provide meaningful, coordinated and sustainable support.
While acknowledging the limitations posed by constrained global funding, she stressed the importance of investing available resources strategically to maximise impact and improve children’s access to justice.
She observed that a clear understanding of the Judiciary’s priorities and operational challenges would enable UNICEF to align its interventions with the institution’s most pressing needs.
Ms Avat further emphasised the need for stronger coordination among development partners to avoid duplication of efforts, leverage comparative advantages and ensure that all interventions advance the Judiciary’s vision for child-centred justice.
She explained that the proposed Rolling Work Plan is derived from the Government of Uganda–UNICEF Country Programme (2026–2030) and invited the Judiciary to provide guidance on strategic priorities requiring support.
During the meeting, UNICEF proposed several priority areas for future collaboration with the Judiciary, including expanding the use of audiovisual and virtual court hearings to improve children’s access to justice, institutionalising child protection and juvenile justice training within the Judicial Training Institute (JTI) and other justice sector training institutions, and strengthening legal aid services for children through appropriate institutional partnerships.
Other proposed interventions include supporting the implementation of diversion guidelines to minimise children’s unnecessary contact with the formal justice system, strengthening court inspection, coordination and quality assurance mechanisms, improving case management and data systems to support evidence-based planning, and enhancing collaboration through Regional and District Coordination Committees and Technical Working Groups.
UNICEF also proposed strengthening interoperability between child protection information systems and the Electronic Court Case Management Information System (ECCMIS) to improve information sharing and case management.
The organisation further expressed interest in deepening collaboration with the Uganda Police Force, the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, the Ministry of Local Government, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, the Law Development Centre, Justice Centres Uganda and other justice sector institutions to promote child-friendly justice.
Additional areas of support include community reintegration programmes aimed at reducing recidivism among children and advocacy for universal, free birth registration and legal identity for every child.
Mr Augustine Wassago, Child Protection Specialist at UNICEF Uganda, noted that UNICEF has previously supported the Judiciary through judicial training, justice sector coordination, deployment of Justice for Children Coordinators, establishment of management information systems and introduction of audiovisual court technology.
He said the organisation now intends to build on these achievements through more sustainable and institutionalised approaches that strengthen long-term capacity within Uganda’s justice system.
Speaking on the Administration of Justice Programme, the Commissioner for Policy and Planning, Mr Simon Peter Opolot, explained that following the transition from the former justice sector-wide approach to the Administration of Justice Programme under the National Development Plan, the Judiciary now serves as the lead coordinating institution for justice sector interventions.
He observed that the new coordination framework provides development partners with an opportunity to align their programmes with nationally agreed priorities, thereby enhancing coherence, accountability and the overall impact of justice sector investments.
The meeting concluded with both the Judiciary and UNICEF reaffirming their shared commitment to advancing justice for children through coordinated planning, institutional capacity building and strategic partnerships that safeguard the rights and welfare of children across Uganda.
Present at the meeting; Registrar Planning and Development, HW John Paul Edoku; the Head of ICT, Mr David Sunday Kikabi; the Principal Policy Analyst, Mr Julius Caesar Kagoro; among others.
Posted 4th, August 2026
