Isingiro Young Leader, Patrick Mwesigye Named United Nations Global SDGs Ambassador

By Jarc Tusiime 

Patrick King Mwesigye Rweshera’Engwe, a young leader originally from Isingiro District in Ankole Sub-region, has been named a United Nations Global SDGs Ambassador, an achievement that reflects years of commitment to community impact, public health, and youth leadership.

Patrick is the Founder and former Executive Director of the Uganda Youth and Adolescents Health Forum (UYAHF), where he led initiatives focused on youth empowerment, health advocacy, social change and human rights. 

Over the years, he has held several influential global and regional leadership roles. He has served on the board of the World Health Organization’s Global Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health in Geneva, and contributed to global movements such as She Decides. He has also been part of the WHO Africa Regional Office Youth Advisory Board, Vice President of the Africa Youth and Adolescents Network on Population and Development (AfriYAN) under UNFPA East and Southern Africa, a member of the African Union Youth Advisory Board, and a fellow of both the Young Women African Leadership Institute and the Mandela Institute for Development Studies (MINDS).

In Uganda, Patrick has held key leadership positions in public service. He served as the NRM Youth Chair for Kamukuzi Division in Mbarara City and spent a decade as a Councillor with the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA), representing the Makerere University area. Today, he lives and works between Toronto, Canada, and New York, USA, continuing his work across both local and global platforms.

A trained public health professional and social worker, Patrick holds a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Management from Makerere University and a Certificate in Media and Communications from Seneca College in Canada. He is currently completing a Master of Science in Public Health with Majors in Healthy Education and Health Promotion at Walden University in Minnesota. He has also completed additional training and certifications from globally recognized institutions, including the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Galilee International Management Institute in Israel, Ulster University in Northern Ireland, and Johns Hopkins University in the United States.

In addition, he is certified in digital marketing and social media by Google and Meta.

Patrick’s work has consistently focused on advancing meaningful youth participation, improving access to sexual and reproductive health services, promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment, and strengthening maternal and child health systems. Through these efforts, he has impacted the lives of hundreds of thousands of young people across East and Southern Africa, as well as within newcomer and refugee communities in Canada.

Speaking about his new role, Patrick shared that he is stepping into the position with passion, purpose, and intention. He aims to raise awareness about the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), build strong community-driven structures for action, and mobilize people to hold leaders accountable to their commitments.

He also emphasized the importance of engaging diverse groups, including young people, children, parents, seniors, media, civil society, and policymakers, to ensure broader understanding and collective action toward achieving the 17 SDGs.

 

 

Patrick’s appointment was announced during his participation at the 70th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70), held this month at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.