STRUCTURE OF THE MINISTRY
The political leadership of the Ministry comprises of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hon Kutesa Sam and two State Ministers; that is Minister of State for International Cooperation, Hon Okello Oryem and Minister of state for Regional Cooperation Hon Asuman Kiyingi
Under them, there is the office of the Permanent Secretary and two Directorates, the Directorate of International cooperation and the Directorate of Regional cooperation. There are departments which fall under the Directorate of International Cooperation and those that fall under the Directorate of Regional Cooperation.
The Ministry has its headquarters located in Kampala-Uganda, with 29 Missions abroad and 1 Consulate. The Ministry has direct interaction with Foreign Missions accredited to Uganda and International Organizations in matters of bi-lateral and multi-lateral relations. The Ministry also provides information on Foreign Policy and advice to the Government, Private Sector, Statutory bodies, Parastatals and the general public.
ROLE OF THE MINISTRY
The key role of the Ministry of Foreign affairs is the implementation of Uganda’s Foreign Policy, which is an aggregation of the domestic Policies. Foreign policy is simply the extension of a Country’s domestic Policy. The primary objective of the Foreign Policy is the promotion of National interest, from which we derive our Mission Statement:
“To promote and protect Uganda’s interests abroad”.
This National Interest is constituted in part by two major parameters namely:
- National Security
- National Prosperity
The two parameters are supposed to represent the totality of Uganda’s interest in all the various sectors.
For Uganda, this is designed in three main concentric circles.
- The first circle consists of the Ring States, which comprises of Uganda’s immediate neighbors that directly impact most on our efforts to promote and protect our national interests
- The second circle is constituted by other African countries, members of African Union and Middle East.
- The third circle is constituted by the rest of the world where Uganda’s development needs are mostly expressed and met. This is the area of greatest concentration for this Office.
The Ministry’s Mission is to ensure maximum benefits from the harmonization of Uganda’s foreign objectives.
FUNCTIONS OF THE MINISTRY
- Managing the Foreign Policy of Uganda
- Providing overall advice on Foreign Policy formulation and guidance on its implementation
- Providing overall coordination and harmonization of Foreign policy positions with other government entities and stakeholders
- Fostering a conducive environment for Trade, Tourism, Technology transfer and Investment
- Collecting and disseminating information relating to Trade, investment and tourism opportunities
- Coordinating national efforts in the promotion of regional cooperation and integration.
- Contributing to the quest for regional and international peace and security in collaboration with other stakeholders.
- Promoting the culture of peaceful resolution of conflicts through multilateral organizations.
- Protecting the welfare and interests of Ugandans abroad.
- Facilitating a conducive environment for operations of foreign diplomatic missions and International Organizations accredited to Uganda.
- Conducting State Protocol and Ceremonial orders.
- Mobilizing external resources and securing employment opportunities abroad.
- Providing Consular services at home and at our missions abroad.
