Uganda to host regional refugee summit
Mar 22, 2019
“The Kampala summit is a regional thematic meeting on livelihoods and self-reliance for refugees, returnees and host communities,” Ecweru said
State Minister for Relief, Disaster Preparedness and Refugees, Musa Ecweru addressing the press at Uganda Media Centre on Friday March 22, 2019.Photos by Sylvia Katushabe
KAMPALA - Uganda is set to host a four-day regional summit on refugees under the auspices of The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).
The minister of state for relief and disaster preparedness, Musa Ecweru, said the first three days will be used for meetings of experts to pave way for a ministerial level meeting on Thursday.
"The Kampala summit is a regional thematic meeting on livelihoods and self-reliance for refugees, returnees and host communities," Ecweru said earlier Friday at the Uganda Media Centre.
The conference, which will be graced by line ministries, lead agencies and civil society organizations that deal with refugee issues will start Saturday and be concluded on Thursday.
Ecweru talks with Annette Akimanzi of Comprehensive refugees response frame work
One of the objective s of the summit, according to Ecweru, includes galvanizing resource mobilization from IGAD member states and other partners to support refugee hosting countries.
Uganda's open door policy towards refugees has been declared as a model to be emulated by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHC).
Under the open door policy, Uganda accepts refugees from part of the world as long as the pass its refugee eligibility test.
According to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, 6.8 million people around the world are refugees of which 3.2 million are being hosted by IGAD nations.
Of the 3.2 million in IGAD regions, more than 1 million refugees are being hosted by Uganda. Outside Turkey and Lebanon, no other country is hosting more refugees than Uganda.
In January 2017, Uganda hosted a global solidarity summit on refugees with the aim of raising revenue to help it cater for the growing number of people in its borders seeking refugee from strife and persecution.
The summit, hosted by President Yoweri Museveni and the United Nations Secretary General, Mr. Antonio Guterres raised over USD350m out of the targeted USD2b.