Uganda’s Prime Minister, Right Honourable Robinah Nabbanja has urged the international community to demonstrate greater solidarity and responsibility in caring for the refugee crisis in Uganda.
She made this disclosure during the conclusion of a five-day mission led by the Chairperson of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees -UNHCR, Ambassador Salim Baddoura, and the Executive Committee of the UN Refugee Agency.
Nabbanja, while raising concerns about the Uganda refugee crisis, highlighted the underfunding of Uganda’s progressive refugee response policy plan by the government and UNHCR which is straining resources in the hosting districts.
On his part, Ambassador Baddoura said he chose to visit Uganda, during his first annual mission of UNHCR’s Executive Committee Chair from Geneva to assess Africa’s largest refugee-hosting country in the continent to enable him to see the highlights of the situation and the need for additional support after such visit was interrupted for several years due to the COVID pandemic.
Also speaking, the UNHCR’s Representative in Uganda, Joel Boutroue appreciated the government for including refugees in national systems such as the National Development Plans and Sector Plans like health, education, water, environment, and livelihoods, in line with the country’s pledges on the Global Compact on Refugees.
Ambassador Baddoura traveled to Rwamwamnja refugee settlement in Kamwenge district, which is home to 80,000 refugees, mainly from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and 40,000 host community members.
While there, he met with refugees and the host community, appreciating their experience and the tangible impact of the coordinated investments of humanitarian and development actors to support both communities through new water systems and improved school and health infrastructure shared by the hosting and refugee communities.
During his trip, the Ambassador also visited new arrivals at Nyakabande Transit Center in Kisoro district where he witnessed the emergency responses to an ongoing influx into Uganda from the DRC and appreciated the many challenges that remain.
Baddour in his message to the district leaders, refugees, and host communities said “the generosity of the people of Uganda, their values and morals are the bedrock of the country, and promised that he will ensure that the voice of the people of Uganda is heard by the international community during UNHCR’s Standing Committee meeting in June 2022 he added.
The over 1.5 million refugees in Uganda are from South Sudan, the DRC, Rwanda, and Burundi thus making it Africa’s largest refugee-hosting country and among the top five largest refugee-hosting countries globally.
Uganda’s Refugee Response Plan which brings together about 68 partners, is calling for USD 804 million for 2022 to address critical needs for protection, food, shelter, and essential household items.
The Executive Committee of the High Commissioner’s Program is comprised of 107 UN Member States plus Observers. It advises the UN High Commissioner for Refugees on protection and programmatic issues and approves the organization’s annual budget.
