Towards the ‘Whole of Society’ Approach of Refugee Management in Uganda: 2018 Reflections & Recommendations
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Title page of presentation made during UHRC’s Consultative Meeting, Jan. 2019
Dear Reader,
From 14-16 January 2019, Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC) organized a stakeholder’s consultative meeting at Fairway Hotel in Kampala as a step in the process of developing its annual report. On behalf of Refugee Law Project, I’m pleased to have attended and presented on the first day of the consultative meeting.
Representing Refugee Law Project (RLP) and envisioning a context where all people enjoy their human rights irrespective of their legal status, I’m pleased to have interacted with a wide range of key stakeholders working to promote and uphold human rights for all. Above all, to have contributed to UHRC’s work; a body mandated by the 1995 Constitution of the Republic of Uganda to monitor, document, and investigate human rights situation in the country.
My presentation was drawn from lessons learnt during the course of last years’ engagements with refugees and host communities in northern Uganda. Specifically, lessons learnt from RLP’s successful implementation of a project generously funded by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Uganda titled “Securing Refugee-host Relations in northern Uganda through Enhanced Protection”.
During the consultation, and on behalf of RLP, I presented key findings from our work and proposed a number of recommendations relating to strengthening access to justice for refugees and host communities, strengthening protection for urban refugees, addressing lacunas in the legal and policy frameworks governing permit acquisition and freedom of work for refugees, registration of urban refugees outside Kampala, protection of environment in the refugee hosting districts, as well as access to and uptake of health and education services among others.
As RLP finalizes texts for submission to Uganda Human Rights Commission, I take this moment to once again thank the Commission for organizing the consultative meeting, and above all, for the generous invite to contribute to this noble course in the pursuit for justice for all. I eagerly look forward to the Commission’s 21st report and recommendations therein for the Parliament of the Republic of Uganda.
I thank you all for the support in 2018 and look forward to a productive and fruitful 2019 and the years to come as we join hands in monitoring, documenting, and investigating human rights situation in the country. Meantime, Download & View Presentation made during the consultative meeting.
Thank you.
