First Quarterly Report, October to December 2023: Karamoja Resilience Support Unit II FY 2024/Award Year 5

The program aims to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of development assistance in the Karamoja region. KRSU II emphasizes the use of existing and new evidence to guide policy and programming in Karamoja and works closely with the Government of Uganda (GOU) to strengthen their capacity for coordination. The program has three objectives: Objective 1, Turn Evidence into Action, which involves generating and disseminating new evidence, as well as reviewing existing Karamoja research to inform GOU, donors, partners, USAID, and other stakeholders. Objective 2, Promote and Foster Collective Action, supports coordination of GOU, development actors, and humanitarian partners, including support to and promotion of Karamoja networks of agencies and staff. Objective 3, Improve GOU Coordination to Implement Development Plans, broadens support to the Ministry of Karamoja Affairs (MfKA) to better coordinate with district and sub-county leadership to operationalize the Karamoja Integrated Development Plan III (KIDP). During the first quarter of the fifth year work plan, covering October to December 2023, KRSU II conducted a rapid impact review to gauge understanding of the benefits of their work and how it is used in Karamoja. The review involved virtual interviews and face-to-face interviews with 30 informants, including academics, government scientists, NGOs, local government members, and donors. The responses were generally positive, confirming that the resources generated by KRSU are being accessed and used by multiple actors and regarded as useful resources for program and strategy development. KRSU II also drafted a comparative review of education approaches and models in Karamoja, which looked at the pros and cons of different approaches and perceived preferences of respondents. The review used standard indicators such as availability, accessibility, affordability, cultural acceptance, quality, and terms of inclusion. A final review report will be circulated in the second quarter. In addition, KRSU II started a guidelines development process for participatory water resources management in Karamoja, with initial consultations and outlines of the guidelines completed during the quarter. Field visits and further consultations will continue during the second quarter, and special sessions to consult different stakeholders will be organized as necessary. KRSU II also identified the research team and defined the scope of the review for the land tenure and land use changes study in Karamoja, and compiled KDPG members' feedback on the draft Karamoja Regional Development Plan into a single report. KRSU II joined the chair and co-chair of the KDPG at a briefing session at the 'Partners for Democracy and Governance' monthly meeting, where they provided a 'big picture' overview of Karamoja in terms of development, social, and economic indicators. The meeting was attended by a group of Ambassadors and their representatives.