ARUA CITY | Minister of State for Gender, Labour and Social Development in charge of Youth and Children Affairs, Hon. Lakisa Faith Mercy, has hosted a high-level delegation from the European Union and Team Europe partners for a two-day strategic engagement in Arua City.
The engagement brought together representatives and Heads of Cooperation from Germany, Ireland, Denmark, Sweden, Italy, France and Austria to discuss development priorities affecting communities across the West Nile region.
Minister Lakisa used the engagement to highlight the importance of stronger partnerships in addressing the challenges faced by communities hosting refugees while also responding to climate pressures, unemployment and the need for inclusive economic growth.
A key area of discussion was youth skilling and enterprise development, with emphasis on connecting practical skills to private-sector opportunities, decent employment and sustainable businesses. This comes as Uganda continues to place emphasis on equipping young people with market-relevant skills and creating pathways into employment and enterprise.
The discussions also focused on child protection, including strengthening systems to prevent abuse, exploitation and child labour while ensuring that children remain in school. Minister Lakisa has recently spoken publicly about the need to protect vulnerable children from exploitation, particularly children living and working on the streets.
Other priorities included green growth and climate resilience, particularly climate-smart agriculture and green skills, as well as gender inclusion, with emphasis on girls’ education and women’s economic empowerment in decision-making and community development.
Minister Lakisa expressed appreciation to the European Union Delegation to Uganda and Team Europe partners for their continued cooperation, noting that strategic partnerships can help translate development priorities into tangible opportunities for young people, children, women, refugees and host communities in West Nile and beyond.
