Women MPs commit to defending women and the civic space, and pledge to adopt the NOWIP lobby paper as a guide for the 12th Parliament.

Female Members of Parliament have pledged to strengthen parliamentary action on civic space, women’s political rights and democratic accountability following the National Women’s Civic Lobby Day convened by the Network of Women in Politics (NOWIP) in partnership with the Uganda Women Parliamentary Association (UWOPA), with support from CIVICUS.

The legislators made a series of landmark commitments aimed at translating lobby day discussions into concrete parliamentary action. These include tabling civic space concerns before Parliament, adopting the lobby day paper as UWOPA’s official guidance document throughout their term of office, establishing an accountability scorecard, and elevating the civic agenda to regional bodies like the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA).

The National Women’s Civic Lobby Day brought together women legislators, women human rights defenders, journalists and civil society actors to discuss the protection of constitutional freedoms, the safety of civic actors and the need for stronger collaboration between Parliament and civil society.

NOWIP LEADERSHIP CALL FOR SHARED DEMOCRATIC RESPONSIBILITY
Thanking the Members of Parliament for their decisive commitments, NOWIP Executive Director Ms. Babirye Lilliane emphasized:

“This engagement is an invitation to build a continued, meaningful partnership between women in political leadership and women in civic leadership. Supported by CIVICUS—whose work globally and in Uganda seeks to strengthen civil society, protect civic freedoms, and build accountable societies—NOWIP is creating space for women political leaders and civic actors to identify practical ways of strengthening democratic accountability.

We are particularly grateful for this partnership because protecting civic space is not only the responsibility of civil society; it is a shared democratic responsibility. Parliament, political leaders, civil society, journalists, and citizens each have an essential role to play in ensuring that people are able to participate meaningfully in public life.”

— Ms. Babirye Lilliane, Executive Director, Network of Women in Politics (NOWIP)

Key Legislator Pledges & High-Level Endorsements

The lobby day recorded strong endorsements and concrete action plans from prominent leaders across political spectrums and governance levels:

• Hon. Lydia Wanyoto (State Minister for Trade): Commended NOWIP for the timely innovation and officially promised that UWOPA will adopt the National Women’s Civic Lobby Day paper as their own guiding operational document throughout their entire term of office in the 12th Parliament.
• Hon. Amaniyo Sheila: Promised to spearhead mobilization efforts to bring more female parliamentarians and male allies on board to champion the civic space agenda inside Parliament.
• Hon. Stella Kiryowa (EALA Legislator): Committed to elevating the lobby paper’s recommendations to the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA), ensuring regional parliamentary backing for women’s political participation and civic space protection.

Honorable members Pledged to table the civic space matter formally on the floor of Parliament, supported by UWOPA members, NOWIP, and civil society partners. NOWIP and key stakeholders will be formally invited to sit in the gallery during the plenary session.

Accountability Scorecard & Extended Declaration Signing.

To ensure accountability, MPs agreed to establish a Civic Space Accountability Scorecard under the UWOPA caucus and a proposed cross-party Civic Space Caucus. This tool will systematically monitor parliamentary actions, track institutional responses, and assess progress on lobby day recommendations.

In a further resolution, legislators agreed that the Women’s Parliamentary Declaration on Rights, Freedoms and Democracy board will remain stationed outside Parliament for a full week. This extension allows non-UWOPA members and male MPs to sign, demonstrating broad, multi-partisan commitment to defending civic space.

Sustained Collaboration Across the 12th Parliament

These commitments build on NOWIP’s call for a sustained partnership between political and civic women leaders to protect constitutional freedoms guaranteed under Articles 29 and 38 of the Constitution of Uganda. Policy recommendations highlight strengthening parliamentary oversight of human rights, protecting women journalists and defenders from harassment, combating online gender-based violence, and institutionalizing bi-annual dialogues.

For NOWIP, CIVICUS, and civil society partners, these outcomes represent a decisive movement beyond a single event toward an institutionalized, continuing mechanism for democratic accountability and human rights protection in the 12th Parliament.