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The National Building Review Board (NBRB) of Uganda has been appointed by the GEM Governing Board as a Public Governor, marking the first time a country has joined the Board through GEM’s merit-based public sector partnership pathway. Uganda is also the second African country to join the Governing Board.
The decision was confirmed on 5 December during the governance session of the GEM Governing Board meeting, marking the start of a three-year engagement. NBRB Uganda was selected following a competitive process under GEM’s merit-based Public Sector Partnership Opportunity, launched earlier this year.
The partnership opportunity forms part of a broader public sponsorship scheme approved by the GEM Governing Board in December 2024 and publicly announced in March 2025. The scheme introduced a new pathway for public institutions to join GEM’s governance based on strategic alignment and in-kind contributions to earthquake risk reduction, alongside two sponsorship tiers involving financial contributions. The merit-based pathway was designed in particular to engage a wider range of countries, including those in the Global South.
“This appointment reflects GEM’s commitment to balanced governance and broader public sector participation,” said Helen Crowley, GEM Secretary General. “We are pleased to welcome Uganda’s National Building Review Board and to begin a collaboration focused on strengthening seismic risk knowledge and its application in national policy and regulation.”
Ahead of the formal signing, Flavia G. Bwire, Executive Secretary of NBRB Uganda, presented the rationale for collaboration to the Board. She outlined how the partnership would support evidence-based building regulation in Uganda, including the revision of the country’s seismic design code and the strengthening of national capacity in earthquake hazard, exposure and risk analysis.
“This partnership will support the review of Uganda’s seismic design standards and help strengthen the technical basis for building control and regulatory enforcement,” said Flavia. “It also provides an opportunity to build national capacity in seismic hazard and risk modelling, in line with Uganda’s development priorities.”
Planned outputs of the collaboration include national hazard maps aligned with global standards, updated exposure and vulnerability datasets, and a modern seismic risk model to inform regulation, planning and disaster preparedness. The partnership also aims to update seismic design parameters used for code enforcement and to improve guidance for local governments, building committees and construction practitioners.
Additionally, the collaboration is expected to strengthen coordination across government agencies, improve public and institutional awareness of seismic risk, and support Uganda’s long-term development priorities, including Uganda Vision 2040 and the Fourth National Development Plan.
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