Background

The Forest Sector Umbrella Programme (FSUP) of the Government of Uganda is taking a pro-poor, livelihoods approach to the redesign of forestry support services. It combines bottom-up participatory planning (based on assets and opportunities), meso level institutional reform (redefining the roles of service providers and local governments), and macro level policy change (new policy and contracting frameworks) with revised funding modalities.

In response to the need for major policy and institutional reforms in the forest sector, the Government of Uganda developed the FSUP in 1997/8 with donor support from a number of agencies (DFID, NORAD, EU, UNDP, GTZ and others). The redesign of forestry advisory services is part of this reform programme.

The purpose of FSUP is to create a positive, effective and sustainable policy and institutional environment for the forest sector in Uganda. The programme began in 1999 and runs until 2003, implemented by the Forest Sector Co-ordination Secretariat under the Ministry of Water, Lands and Environment. It is lead by the Government of Uganda with a sector-wide focus and multi-donor support. It places private and public sector reforms at its centre, set out in the National Forest Plan.