The Uganda National Academy of Sciences is an independent, non-profit, nonpolitical, and membership-based service organization. UNAS was created to provide credible, balanced, and evidence-driven advice to the nation on matters of science and development.

UNAS draws its membership from the Fellowship of the Academy who are recognized for their lifetime achievements in the sciences and humanities. Fellows are active contributors to the national and international academic community. The UNAS Fellowship is composed of scholars from disciplines including the natural and social sciences, as well as the arts and humanities—all of whom have been selected through a rigorous vetting process.

UNAS is composed of three distinct bodies: the General Assembly, the Council, and the Secretariat. The General Assembly is the supreme decision-making body of the Academy made up of the complete Fellowship. The Council is the organization’s board, and its role includes overall leadership of the Academy, the setting of strategic aims, mobilization of human and financial resources for effective functioning of the Academy, review of management performance, the setting of the Academy’s values, and standards, and ensuring that the Academy meets its various obligations to the law, its stakeholders, and ethical conduct. Council members serve for 3-year terms up to a maximum of 6 years pending re-election. The Secretariat executes the strategic direction defined by the Council by formulating and implementing specific programs while running the day-to-day operations of UNAS.