MAK hosts 2019 Management of Social Transformation (MOST) School

Makerere University in partnership with UNESCO is hosting the 2019 Management of Social Transformation (MOST) School. 

The four-day workshop that started today, 2^nd April 2019 is being held in Senate Upper Conference Hall under the theme; “Youth, Peace and Security in the Horn of Africa”.  It was officially opened by Dr Jane Egau Okou, Commissioner for Teacher Education on behalf of the Minister of State for Higher Education.

Participants include youth leaders from different countries of Africa including Uganda, Kenya, South Africa, Somalia, Djibouti, Gambia, South Sudan and Ethiopia. The workshop is being facilitated by professionals from within and outside Uganda namely; Dr Sabiti Makara, Dr Paul Omach and Dr Phillip Kasaija from the Department of Political Science and Public Administration, Makerere University; Dr Busingye Kabumba from the School of Law, Makerere University; Dr Pamela Kanakhwa from the Department of History, Archaeology and Heritage Studies, Makerere University; Dr Abdul Rahman Lamin, from the UNESCO Regional Office; Ms. Rosie Agoi, Secretary General of the Uganda National Commission for UNESCO and Dr. Dominic Venture Mundrugo-Ogo Lali, Deputy Secretary General, Uganda National Commission for UNESCO. Other facilitators include Mr. Ambrose Atwoki, Chairperson, MOST National Committee in Uganda and Mr. Lennon Monyae, a researcher at the African Union.

 During the four days of the workshop, participants will share ideas on a number of issues including leadership building amongst the youth, the role of youth as change agents, peace building and conflict resolution, strategies of linking youth activities, innovations and ideas with research and policy; designing of policy research proposals and resource mobilization. They will also share experiences on building social science knowledge on youth, peace and security.

In his remarks read by Dr Jane Egau Okou, Commissioner for Teacher Education at the opening ceremony, the Minister of State for Higher Education applauded UNESCO, Makerere University and the Social Science Research Council for the initiative noting that youth hold the keys to unlocking the potential for a peaceful, secure and inclusive world. “The MOST Programme is timely because it is one of the most effective ways through which youth on the African Continent can be empowered to contribute to the eradication of poverty, building inclusive and sustainable societies and the promotion of peace, justice and security,” he said. He further noted that the MOST Programme is consistent with target 4.7 of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 which is aimed at ensuring that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, human rights, gender equality, and a culture of peace and non-violence by 2030.

MOST is UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Social Sciences Research-Policy Programme; the only one in the Social and Human Sciences Sector of the Organization. It operates at the national, regional and global levels.

MOST works with governments, academic communities in the social and human sciences, and civil society organizations, in particular, youth-led and focused groups, to improve connections between knowledge and action.

Within the framework of the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals and the Africa Union’s Agenda 2063, MOST contributes to development, by specifically focusing on, among others, the eradication of poverty, building inclusive societies, sustainable responses to environmental change, and the promotion of participatory, effective and accountable governance, the foundations upon which peace, justice and security rest.

 MOST supports Member States in improving policymaking processes through a strengthened research-policy interface, using knowledge focused on human needs, from social and human sciences perspectives, to promote a culture of evidence-informed decision-making.

Operational pillars of MOST

• The MOST Programme has three main Operational Pillars, contained in the Comprehensive Strategy for the MOST Programme (2016-2021), approved by the Intergovernmental Council (IGC), made up of Member States. They are: 
• The Research Pillar, which operates in close coordination with the Scientific Advisory Committee and networks of social sciences and humanities communities to, among others, produce, systematize and promote inclusive access to knowledge, and promote multi-stakeholder exchange of knowledge and experiences, through publication of MOST Discussion and Policy Papers, etc. 
• The MOST Intergovernmental Forums – sub-regional ministerial forums, MOST IGC, UNESCCO governing bodies, and other UN/Regional forums – to enable Member States, through MOST, to shape international and regional agendas, and develop the technical basis to respond to them
• Policy support and Capacity Building, through MOST Schools, Futures Literacy and Inclusive Policy Labs, to embed MOST Outcomes in national/regional debates and policy designs

MOST School principles

• MOST Schools are events, not institutions. They enhance knowledge brokering, which constitutes the third operational pillar of the MOST Strategy
• The MOST School approach is an innovative capacity-building initiative under UNESCO’s MOST Programme, designed to strengthen competences for evidence-informed decision making in Member States
• Based on bottom-up demands, MOST Schools prioritize interventions aimed at developing the capacity of researchers and decision-makers to transfer knowledge into action. Their primary goal is to support long-term sustainable development in contexts where capacity gaps may be a major constraint to transforming research into action
• MOST Schools are generally guided by four key principles: Flexibility; High Quality; Accelerating Dissemination; and National and/or Regional Ownership

Expected outcomes

• A draft proposal for organizing at least one additional regional MOST School in 2020/21, in the region, with the possibility of several national schools during the period
• A short policy brief specifically targeting selected policymaking institutions and stakeholders working on the thematic area of youth, peace and security in the Horn of Africa/IGAD countries
• Identification of research ideas and proposals presented by participants, for further research, development and publication, with the support of UNESCO and its institutional partners