UDN is a national policy advocacy organization that promotes and advocates for poor and marginalized people to participate in influencing poverty-focused policies, demand for their rights and monitor service delivery to ensure prudent, accountable and transparent resource generation and utilization.
Uganda Debt Network (UDN) has experienced significant growth and development over the last 20 years. Starting as a small group of three individuals and 23 organizations that were championing the Jubilee 2000 campaign for debt relief in Uganda1 in 1996, UDN has currently grown into a network of more than 40 organizations and 100 individuals at the national level, with regionally-targeted programme implementation in the East (Busoga, Bukedi, Teso), North-East (Karamoja sub-region), Central, West Nile and the West (Kigezi, Nkore and Bunyoro sub-regions). UDN is headquartered in Kampala.
UDN CORE VALUES
UDN’s work is guided by core values which we uphold as inviolable commitments that express’ who we are as a CSO”, and what principles or qualities infuse all practices and activities within the organization. These core principles are:
- Integrity: We espouse moral and ethical conduct with regard to fellow staff, UDN members and the general public. We are individually and collectively accountable for moral conduct and accountability, which are cornerstones of our corporate behavior.
- Intellectual integrity: Our research is evidence-based. We respect the continuous and rigorous pursuit of truth, particularly because of our mission. We advocate because of our expertise and our research provides firm basis for action. We will not be associated with sloppy work, piracy of information or any other intellectual vices.
- Prudent use of resources: While we advocate for prudence in public resource management for the benefit of all Ugandans, we enforce equal application within UDN and in relation to other organizations. We are accountable to our constituents, membership, donors and the general public.
- Respect for the poor: We identify with and appreciate the circumstances of the poor and marginalized people in our society. We respect the poor and cultivate among our members a similar culture of respect. We value their time, and create opportunities and systems for their self-expression and representation.
- Gender sensitivity, equality and non-discrimination: We apply sensitivity in our treatment of others, create equality-sensitive systems and promote inclusion to ensure due respect, due affirmative action and harness diversity within our team. This is in accordance with our commitment to gender equality as a fundamental human rights principle that seeks to ensure that access to and enjoyment of rights, responsibilities and opportunities is unaffected by gender.
- Fairness: We commit to an attitude and practice of tolerance, respect for others and mutual support.
- Time-consciousness: We recognize that time is a precious asset which many Africans do not value. We cherish wise and optimal utilization of time (our time and other people’s time). We are conscious of its potential to cause disrespect (undue insensitivity) and its opportunity cost.