The partners organising the Second Kampala Geopolitics Conference on Wednesday 2nd October, 2019 officially released the programme for the two-day event scheduled to take place on 17th and 18th October 2019. The release follows the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signing ceremony on 31st July 2019 between partners; the Embassy of France in Uganda, Makerere University, Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) Uganda and South Sudan, UN Women Uganda, Alliance Francaise de Kampala and Reach A Hand Uganda.

Addressing the press conference ahead of the event, the Ambassador of France to Uganda H.E Jules-Armand Aniambossou could not hide his joy at once again visiting the famous Makerere University, which he described as “my second home in Kampala.” He noted that this year’s Kampala Geopolitics Conference will not only ride on the roaring success of the first edition but also seek to make it bigger and better.

“The Kampala Geopolitics Conference will for the first time incorporate the Student Debate featuring students from Makerere University. This is all aimed at training the young generation to embrace and promote the culture of academic debate at a global level,” added the Ambassador.

H.E. Aniambossou further noted that the world today is confronted by multifaceted challenges in the form of Climate Change, Insecurity, Global Health Challenges, as well as all those that the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) seek to address. These challenges, he said, were unfortunately being addressed by two radically opposing approaches of disintegration; where parties withdraw into their smaller national or sub-national alliances and illusion; where parties are oblivious of the dangers posed.

“Our role as partners of the Kampala Geopolitics Conference is to introduce a third approach through bringing leading academics from Africa and the world together with diplomats, students and the public to reflect, debate and through disruption come up with a right solution” explained H.E. Aniambossou.

Speaking on behalf of the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe, the Manager Communication and International Relations, Dr. Muhammad Kiggundu Musoke thanked the partners for choosing Makerere University to host the successful Inaugural Kampala Geopolitics Conference in 2018. He added that this year’s event will host 18 roundtables and further exchange platforms on a variety of topics relating to; Global Challenges, Regional Trends, SDGs, Culture and Society.

“Makerere University is no longer the Ivory Tower where knowledge is generated and consumed internally. Through events such as Kampala Geopolitics Conference, we are reviving the spirit of debate and opening our gates to create an interactive and dynamic platform for dialogue and free exchange of ideas cutting across contemporary, local and international geopolitics” remarked Dr. Kiggundu-Musoke.

Mr. Mathias Kamp the Country Representative, KAS Uganda and South Sudan shared that the 2nd Kampala Geopolitics Conference is a fulfilment by the partners to Prof. Nawangwe and Makerere University that event would not be a one-off.

“In my view, the Kampala Geopolitics Conference is not just an event but an institution on its own already. This is the number one flagship event for KAS and the largest on our annual calendar. It provides us with the rare opportunity to bring the full force of our Think Tank Network from around the world to Makerere University to freely exchange ideas and debate various topics related to geopolitics” he shared.

Mr. Kamp added that the choice of Makerere University as host is a vote of confidence in its reputation as a Centre of Excellence in not only teaching, research and knowledge transfer but also in Academic Discourse and Debate. “I therefore urge us all to have a disruptive engagement at the Kampala Geopolitics Conference 2019 because the ideas that move the world are often born in universities.”

In his remarks, the UN Women Country Representative to Uganda, Dr. Maxime Houinato, shared that one of his biggest regrets is never having secured his PhD from Makerere University, an icon of academic excellence in Africa. He nevertheless congratulated Makerere upon the strong resolve to tackle head-on the vice of sexual harassment among students and staff.

He stated that the advent of the SDGs in 2015 marked a shift of the UN strategy from inward looking standalone solutions to outbound, broad based and interdependent approaches to making the world a better place by 2030.

“As such, partnership through platforms like the Kampala Geopolitics Conference and strategic thinking are critical to fuel discussion and development both globally and in Africa,” stated Dr. Houinato.

The UN Women Country Representative further challenged the media to raise the bar in terms of the conversation on geopolitics and carry the message beyond the immediate audience in Makerere University. “I know that the media is meant to be independent but in the face of extreme poverty, injustice and discrimination, the media needs to take sides in order to address inequality.”

The two-day event is set to be held in the Main Hall and Senior Common Room in the Main Building as well as the Freedom Square. It will be graced by a number of Heads of Diplomatic Missions in Uganda, in addition to the partner Ambassador, H.E Jules-Armand Aniambossou. These will include; the German Ambassador-H.E. Albrecht Conze, US Ambassador-H.E. Deborah Malac and the EU Ambassador-H.E. Attilio Pacific.

Please see Downloads for Conference Programme and Concept Note.