PUBLIC NOTICE
REQUEST FOR NOMINATION OF INDIVIDUALS TO SERVE AS TRUSTEES OF THE UGANDA BIODIVERSITY TRUST FUND (UBTF)
The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) presents its compliments to you for the continuous effort to promote the conservation of biodiversity in Uganda and presents the following request for your consideration and assistance.
As you may be aware, WCS, with funding from USAID, has since October 2014 been facilitating a process to establish an institution that will work towards bridging the financing gap of biodiversity conservation in Uganda. This process has involved diverse stakeholders through various platforms to discuss the elements required to establish this institution - the UBTF. The mission of UBTF is to “Serve as a catalyst for mobilizing, managing and channeling financial resources for biodiversity conservation and sustainable use of natural resources in Uganda for the benefit of current and future generations”
The UBTF will be established under the Trustees Incorporation Act and will be held in trust by Trustees in accordance with provisions of the trust deed that establishes it. The Trustees will be persons nominated and serving, on a voluntary basis, in their individual capacities and independent of the institutions they work for, represent or are affiliated to. During stakeholder consultations, a transparent and inclusive process of selecting founding Trustees was recommended. It was also recommended that the individuals suitable to serve as Trustees should possess the following credentials, among others:
a. Personal interest, commitment, availability and willingness to serve voluntarily
b. High integrity and ethical conduct
c. Capacity to serve independent of other institutional affiliations
d. Professional experience relevant to the mission and objectives of UBTF
e. Not currently holding political office, not running for elective political office and not directly participating in, or intervening in, any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for elective public office
f. Law abiding with no criminal record.
The nominations received by WCS will be vetted by a Committee composed of representatives from Government (central and local government), Non-Governmental Organizations, Private Sector, Academia, Development Partners as well as individuals in their own right. The shortlisted candidates will be subjected to due diligence processes before a final selection is conducted with assistance of an Advisory Committee composed of prominent personalities constituted specifically for the purpose of recruiting new trustees.
It is against this background that you are requested to participate in the nomination process for the founding Trustees of UBTF. Refer to the terms of reference provided herewith for further information on their expected roles and responsibilities. For all nominees, please use the candidate nomination form (attached/ forwarded) to provide their particulars and to state why you think they make good candidates as UBTF trustees.
You are free to nominate any mature person from within or outside Uganda as long as s/he can be identified with the purpose of UBTF. WCS would like to assure you that your nomination and correspondence on this matter will be treated with the appropriate level of confidentiality. This information may be shared with members of the Steering and Advisory Committees who are assisting with Trustee selection, and with WCS’ advisors on a need-to-know basis. WCS does reserve the right to contact the candidate and any references mentioned in the nomination form and WCS may seek clarification from you wherever necessary.
The nomination form & Terms of Reference can be downloaded here
Once again, it is a pleasure to request you for assistance with this important matter and look forward to receiving your response not later than three weeks from date of publication of this notice.
Address your nominations to: The Country Director, Wildlife Conservation Society, Plot 802, Kiwafu Rd, Kansanga-Kampala, P.O Box 7487, Kampala; Email snampindo@wcs.org. Copy Email to phatanga@wcs.org