Roosevelt Rhino Campaign launches in New York, linking conservation to US–Uganda diplomacy

December 22, 2025 in Travel & Tourism by Editor

Uganda has launched the Roosevelt Rhino Campaign in New York, using conservation diplomacy, historical ties, and wildlife rewilding to strengthen relations with the United States and mobilise global support for rhino protection

Uganda is leveraging conservation diplomacy as part of efforts to deepen its engagement with the United States. This follows the launch of the Roosevelt Rhino Campaign, a transnational initiative that ties wildlife recovery, heritage preservation, and international partnerships to Uganda’s long-term conservation strategy.

The campaign was formally unveiled on December 18 at a hybrid event hosted by Uganda’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations, drawing together government officials, conservation authorities, academics, cultural institutions, and private sector representatives from both countries. The launch builds on outcomes of the US–Africa Business Connect – Roosevelt Africa Trail Summit held earlier this month at the Explorers Club in Manhattan.

Anchored in the legacy of the 1909–1910 Smithsonian–Roosevelt African Expedition, the Roosevelt Rhino Campaign highlights how early scientific collections from Ajai in Northern Uganda continue to inform modern conservation science, habitat restoration, and adaptive wildlife management. The initiative positions conservation as a bridge between historical ties and contemporary cooperation in biodiversity protection and sustainable development.

A defining moment of the launch was a live link to Uganda, where Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) Executive Director James Musinguzi joined from Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary to formally identify a three-year-old rhino cub named “Roosevelt.” The cub is expected to be officially christened in October 2026, marking a symbolic milestone in Uganda’s rhino rewilding programme at Ajai Wildlife Reserve.

In a virtual submission, Uganda’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Adonia Ayebare, described the campaign as a strategic tool for conservation diplomacy.

“The Roosevelt Rhino Campaign is a strategic platform advancing conservation diplomacy, heritage preservation, and sustainable development,” Ayebare said, reaffirming Uganda’s full institutional support for the initiative.

Deputy Permanent Representative Ambassador Godfrey Kwoba emphasized the importance of coordinated international engagement, noting that conservation outcomes increasingly depend on partnerships that span governments, research institutions, and the private sector.

UWA’s Musinguzi said Uganda’s progress in rhino conservation reflects sustained investment, institutional stability, and trusted partnerships built over time.

“Initiatives such as the Roosevelt Rhino Campaign help strengthen international understanding and support for wildlife recovery,” he said.

The launch brought together a wide coalition of partners, including AmCham Uganda, representatives of the Theodore Roosevelt Association, the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library and Centre, conservation leaders, academic institutions such as Muni University, and local government stakeholders from Madi Okollo District.

A central pillar of the campaign is the Roosevelt Encounters Africa children’s book series, led by A Rhino Named Roosevelt. Developed in partnership with NABU, the series uses storytelling to promote conservation education, youth engagement, and heritage tourism along the historic Roosevelt Africa Trail.

Through global engagements tied to the trail, the campaign aims to mobilize USD 5 million under UWA’s Name a Rhino Initiative, supporting rhino rewilding while advancing community-based socio-economic development and strengthening Uganda’s conservation footprint on the global stage.