Long-term partnerships with the government and NGOs

Published: 24 June 2022
Last edited: 24 June 2022

Since establishment, CTPH has cultivated strong partnerships with government and other stakeholders, including other NGOs and the private sector. This ensures that CTPH’s work is in line with government priorities and strategies, is supported by the Government and aligns with other stakeholders. This was particularly important during the COVID-19 pandemic when the Government of Uganda instituted a strict ‘no movement’ lockdown to minimise spread of infection. Recognising that CTPH’s work is critical to the survival of Uganda’s mountain gorillas and the livelihoods dependent on them, the Government  granted CTPH special permission to continue its One Health activities.

 

CTPH’s advocacy activities are more successful due to the ongoing close working relationship that CTPH maintains with government institutions. This includes calling for park rangers and other conservation personnel to be amongst the priority groups for COVID-19 vaccination, primarily because of their close contact with Uganda’s endangered great apes which are highly susceptible to human respiratory diseases and because their survival is not only critical for biodiversity conservation but also for the Ugandan economy. CTPH also successfully advocated for the adoption of more stringent great ape viewing guidelines.

Classifications

Category
Alliance and partnership development
Scale of implementation
Local
Subnational
National
Phase of solution
Inception phase
Implementation
Monitoring
Documentation and dissemination of results

Enabling factors

  • Routine communication and dialogue with relevant government personnel and departments as well as NGO and CBO partners
  • Regular and early stakeholder engagement that extended to academia and the private sector
  • Respect for CTPH and Gorilla Conservation Coffee amongst government departments, NGOs, tour operators and other private sector stakeholders as well as research institutions

Lessons learned

  • Engaging stakeholders early, during project design and planning stages, is mutually beneficial and helps to ensure projects align with government and organisational strategic directions and priorities
  • Acknowledging government and other stakeholder support and input in external communication maintains trust
  • Joint proposal development helps to align priorities and allow for easier scale up and lesson learning

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