This brief does demonstrates how pacific Countries tend to address the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and provides guidance on how these can be appropriately exited. To achieve the afore mentioned goals, this brief examines the type and design of tax stimulus introduced and estimates overall tax losses and losses attributable to tax measures, and the risks associated with such measure. Additionally, tax policy measures were expected to play an important role in providing relief to businesses when economic activities were disrupted because of the lockdowns imposed by governments.

Government of Uganda set a target of achieving a lower middle income status by 2020 as a bedrock for achieving the country’s Vision 2040. Key policy frameworks such the National Development Plan (NDPs) were drafted to spearhead the aspiration. Notably the above set target was not achieved during the NDP II period (2014/15-2020/21). Observably, the size, strength or of the ability of the middle class is envisaged as a vehicle for the middle-income agenda and prerequisites for building or driving transition into a strong and stable lower middle-income status country.

Over the years, there has been a growing recognition of domestically mobilized revenue as a sustainable source of financing for countries’ development priorities across the EAC. In a bid to fully meet their financing requirements, EAC countries have often resorted to external sources; including loans, grants and aid to finance development and social programs. That said, EAC member states can still do more to ensure that domestic resources are managed more innovatively for greater effectiveness.

Access to justice is a key component in ensuring the realization of all other rights contained within human rights frameworks as well as achieving SDG 16 holistically. Observably, the United Nations, and other development partners, have increasingly crafted new policies and programmes to broaden access to justice and increase empowerment as a poverty reduction tool. This brief recognizes the central role access to justice has towards realizing other human rights and combatting chronic poverty, as well as helping countries progress towards achieving the SDGs.

This brief highlights how the outbreak of the global COVID 19 pandemic has posed new demands on development cooperation in its various forms: finance, capacity support, policy change and multi-stakeholder partnerships. Observably, the South-South and triangular cooperation showcased signs of resilience in the pandemic period, particularly in the areas of technical cooperation, in-kind support and multi-stakeholder partnership, as well as mobilizing financial support.

Notably, alongside a multiplicity of national and international actors across, public servants have been cited to play a cardinal role in implementing the 2030 Agenda since 2015. Therefore, activities are being undertaken to strengthen the capacity of the public servants to foster efficient and effective implementation of the 2030 Agenda. Areas identified for capacity strengthening include: data, statsistical systems, follow up and review; panning and localization of SDGs.

The correlation between economic growth and poverty reduction is not linear. The way in which additional income is distributed matters for poverty outcomes. The same economic growth rate can cause different levels of poverty reduction in countries with different levels of inequality. Evidence also shows that countries with a more equal distribution of assets and income often grow faster than those with a higher degree of inequality. There may thus exist a virtuous cycle between growth and equity.