Appraisal of the Peace, Recovery and Development Plan for Northern Uganda

Peace and development prospects for Northern Uganda have improved in recent years and in 2006 the Government of Uganda (GoU) signed a Cessation of Hostilities agreement with the Lords Resistance Army (LRA). Despite challenges, it has given the communities some level of hope and optimism needed to embark on the long process of recovery. Since 2007, large numbers of Internally Displaced People (IDP) have moved to their original homes or transit sites located in nearby parishes. However violent conflict continues to pose major challenges in Karamoja in the North East sub-region.

In response to these developments GoU has put into action a number of measures aimed at enhancing the protection of the civilian population and promoting development to reduce the disparities in welfare between Northern Uganda and the rest of the country. The response is articulated in the GoU's Poverty Eradication Action Plan (PEAP) which among others focuses on measures for security and conflict resolution. Among GoU responses have been an IDP policy and various programmes targeting Northern Uganda. While these interventions have registered some progress, GoU has still
considered them inadequate with low effectiveness due to insufficient resources; lack of coherence, poor coordination, absence of strong local government structures to support implementation and poor accountability systems.

Subsequently the GoU with support from the international donor community embarked on a process to develop a more comprehensive framework and "master plan" for recovery and development of Northern Uganda; the "Peace, Recovery and Development Plan for Northern Uganda" (PRDP) which was launched in September 2007 to cover the fiscal year 2007/08-2009/10.

The PRDP is expected to serve many purposes including:

• Supporting the political dialogue including the commitments agreed upon.
• Promotion and restoration of peace and security in the region.
• Mobilizing additional resources to support development efforts that will reduce the economic disparities between the north and the south.

This report presents the findings from an appraisal of earmarked budget support to PRDP. The appraisal has covered, among others, an assessment of;

• The planning process and design of PRDP including how cross cutting issues have been addressed.
• The proposed implementation arrangement with emphasis on the required institutional capacity and associated system and procedures to monitor its implementation.
• The public financial management system with special reference to "on budget" funding of PRDP.
• Proposed arrangements for "on-budget" external funding and coordination including assessment of possible joint donor funding arrangements.