Social accountability as a tool for realization of economic and social rights
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Date
2016
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Initiative for Social and Economic Rights (ISER)
Abstract
Social Accountability can be defined as citizens’ capacity to hold the state and service providers to account
in order to make them more responsive to the needs of citizens and beneficiaries. Examples of social
accountability mechanisms in Uganda include informal mechanisms, for example citizen scorecards, public
media campaigns/debates, performance agreements for top district officers, client charters and community
meetings on accountability (“Barazas”) and the enforcement of commitments emanating therefrom; as well
as mechanisms embedded in legal or policy instruments, for example School Management Committees
(SMCs), Water User Committees (WUCs) and Health Unit Management Committees (HUMCs) and the
like. Participation in public processes is entrenched as a legal right in Uganda’s legal framework. Article 38
of the Constitution states that every Ugandan has the right to participate in the affairs of government and
to influence government policy. Article 41 guarantees the right of access to information, which is a key
prerequisite for participation. Additionally, the Local Government Act provides for democratic participation
in, and control of, decision-making by the people.