This report is a synthesis of Uganda’s potential and effectiveness in implementing and domesticating international frameworks on responsible investments. The key international frameworks assessed were VGGT, CFS-RAI, Agenda 2030, AfCFTA and CEDAW. To understand their domestication, the study analyzed the national policies, treaties and structures set in the country and their operations. This study was largely undertaken through extensive literature review of non state actors and government documents, FGDs and key informant interviews. The stakeholders consulted included representatives of the civil society, National and local government technical and political leaderships, and the small scale farmers from Zombo, Nebbi, Arua, Jinja, Mukono, Mityana, Kassanda and Nwoya districts. In total, 12 FGDs were held with an average of 12 participants each. A total of 144 (48 men and 96 women) small scale farmers took part in the FGDs. Nine (9) Key informant interviews were conducted with district and lower local government officials and Non state stakeholders.

After examining the existing policy, legislative and structural frameworks of the country, this study notes that, Uganda developed several plans, policies, laws and set structures for implementation both national and local governments for example Uganda developed the country’s long term Comprehensive National Development Planning Framework that give reference for the overall framework essential for domesticating these guidelines, treaties and laws. The framework mandates the development of a 30-year Vision, three to 10- year perspective plans, six to five-year development plans, five sector development plans, local government development plans, annual plans, and budgets. This is re-enforced by several policies and laws anchored in the constitution of he republic of Uganda.

This is supportive and provides a good foundation for the domestication of the international frameworks. Nevertheless, the study found out that although Uganda aligned its policies to adopt the implementation of these international frameworks, guidelines and treaties, these frameworks have fallen short as regards to their implementation due to lack of coordination between sectors and institutions, capacity issues at all structures of governance including the regulated community and supporting professionals such as environment officers, ignorance of the citizenry on their rights, corruption and greatly impaired by the limited allocation of resources to the structures for operations making it hard to realize effective implementation of the guidelines. The study further realized that the implementation of safeguards like S/EIA processes is marred with
irregularities.

Accordingly, this study recommends that government should allocate financial resources to structures set to implement the national guidelines, policies and laws for responsible investments i.e. environment, social safeguard offices and human rights at the central governments reflective of the value of the environment in its totality to national development, train relevant professionals that are required to positively impact the critical sectors, actualization of integration of the international frameworks across different MDAs critical for not only achieving the guidelines themselves, fight corruption and aligning of the country’s institutions and coordinate them well to serve the purpose of ensuring effective domestication of the international frameworks, guidelines and treaties.