MINISTRY OF DISASTER | REFUGEES | ENERGY | ONEK

The Minister for Relief, Disaster Preparedness, and Refugees Hillary Onek has called for sustainable energy sources for refugees living in Uganda.

Onek says the country's resources are being constrained and depleted faster by the increasing number of refugees that keep flooding into Uganda.

“Uganda’s land resources, forest cover, and other resources are stressed against the increasing number of refugees a situation that is devastating Uganda’s environment. There is no sustainable solution that has been put in place for the alternative energy sources,” Onek says.

Jamal Arafat the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) representative in South Sudan addressing the media the Office of the Prime Minister.

He made the remarks during the launch of the Global Refugee Forum (GRF) roadmap, Uganda Chapter at the Office of the Prime Minister in Kampala on Tuesday.

 The Global Refugee Forum is slated to take place between December 13-15, 2023, where Uganda will be a co-convenor.

Onek added that due to the increasing number of refugees that keep coming into the country, Uganda’s productive land per refugee has also reduced.

“It is on this note that we call upon all the international communities to commit the matching support against the challenges and to the increase on your commitment on the resettlement pathways,” Onek said during the launch events.

He added that if the international community fails to fulfill its pledge, Uganda’s refugee policies might change since even the UN agencies are now neglecting some of their responsibilities.

Hillary Onek the Minister for Relief, Disaster preparedness and refugees interacting with US ambassador to Uganda Natalie Brown at the office of the Prime Minister.

Onek said in the past four years, the help from the international communities towards Uganda has been declining and this is frustrating the Ugandan government.

Financing dwindling, refugees rising

“Four years ago, Uganda had about 700,000 refugees and the money that the international agencies gave to us was enough to facilitate the refugees, but now the number of refugees has shot up and the funds are coming in a reverse form,” Onek said.

He added that international communities have now shifted all their financial help to Ukrainian refugees and have neglected the other refugee-hosting countries.

Esther Anyakun, the State Minister for Relief, Disaster Preparedness and Refugees, said while attending the first GRF in 2019, Uganda pledged to maintain its progressive and open-door refugee policy, Including refugee issues in the national development plans and national statistical system.

She noted that despite the pledges that Uganda committed itself to and fulfilled, its one of the most severely underfunded countries globally.

“Global assistance and lifesaving assistance to the refugees in the settlements has diminished. More funding is needed in 2023,” Anyakun said.

Esther Anyakun the state minister for relief, Disaster preparedness and refugees addressing officials during the launch of the Global Refugee Forum at the office of the Prime Minister.

She said Uganda is hopeful that GRF will provide a platform to call on more international responsibility and burden sharing which is critical for the development of Uganda.

Call for census of refugees

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) representative in Uganda, Matthew Crentsil, said there is a need to carry out a census on the number of refugees that are in Uganda currently.

“For the past years, we have been saying that the number of refugees has been 1.5 million refugees in the country but it's high time we got to know the new number. The refugee influx hasn’t stopped at all. We need to know their population,” Crentsil said.

He added that since the number keeps on increasing, it's high time the international communities also increased their funding to Uganda and other refugee-hosting countries.

Jamal Arafat, the UNHCR representative in South Sudan, also said it's high time all countries started contributing a certain percentage towards the refugee hosting countries adding that these Countries are usually constrained financially and their resources are depleted faster when the population increases.

US ambassador to Uganda Natalie Brown and Japanese ambassador to Uganda Fukuzawa Hidemoto were among other dignitaries who attended the event.