Opening Remarks at Refugee Host Districts Leaders Meeting
Ms. Rosa Malango
UN Resident Coordinator &
UNDP Resident Representative
28thApril 2017
TheRight Honourable Rebecca Kadaga, Speaker of Parliament
Honourable Hillary Onek, Minister of Relief, Disaster Preparedness and Refugees
Honourable Tom Butime, Minister of Local Government
Honourable Musa Ecweru, Minister of State for Relief, Disaster Preparedness and Refugees
Members of Parliament
Resident District Commissioners
District Chairpersons
UN Colleagues
Ladies and Gentlemen,
On behalf of the United Nations in Uganda, I would like to express our gratitude to the leaders of the 12 refugee hosting districts. I also want to use this opportunity to thank the people of these districts for the warmness with which refugees have been received and hosted in your districts. This signifies the commitment of the people of these districts in solidarity with their neighbouring brothers and sisters. In a time of challenges including draught and climate related effects resulting to food insecurity, we cannot overlook the hospitality of the people and the bold steps taken by the leaders of 12 districts in partnership with the Central Government, the United Nations and partners to respond to the refugees’ influx Uganda faces.
At the World Humanitarian Summit in May 2016, the former UN Secretary General, 9 UN agencies and the World Bank agreed to adopt a ‘New Way of Working’ in crises, which aims to not only meet humanitarian needs, but also reduce them over time.
Uganda has a history of providing a safe haven in an unstable region, while dealing with its own development challenges and increasing vulnerabilities, including effects of the recent drought and food insecurity affecting many parts of the country. The generosity and investments of the Ugandan Government and people in maintaining an open-door, transformative policy, is unique and commendable, particularly at a time when the asylum space is shrinking in many countries around the world.
The UN Country Team has supported the Government of Uganda in its endeavour, recognizing that a development-oriented approach will contribute to the long-term sustainability of Uganda’s unique model. Since 2015, the UN and the World Bank in Uganda support the Government’s Settlement Transformative Agenda through the Refugee and Host Population Empowerment Strategy: ReHoPE, which has been piloted through the UN Development Assistance Framework in the past year. This strategy supports the Government of Uganda in building resilience and self-reliance of refugees and host communities.
This is engagement between the Central Government, leaders from the 12 refugee hosting districts and other stakeholders at the time is timely in order to strengthen partnership to ensure the protections of refugee space, through fostering common understanding of strategies for refugees protection and management, and thereby promoting peaceful coexistence enhanced in the refugees hosting districts.
Thank You.
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