Migrants urged to respect host communities

MIGRANTS    REFUGEES

KAMPALA - Human beings all over the world have been migrating for generations and they will continue to migrate, Dr. Antonio Querido, Acting UN Resident Coordinator, and FAO representative said.

Querido made these remarks Wednesday at St Peter's Primary school, Nsambya during International Migrants Day.

272 million people are international migrants living and working outside their countries of birth and this gives a good reason why the world celebrates on December 18.

Querido said, doing things together, sharing our worlds together is also a sure way to transcend and the things that we hear elsewhere like Xenophobia will not have a chance here instead peace and development will have a greater chance to prevail.

"I challenge you to take the first step and reach out to your hospitable hosts and propose doing something together. This is one of the ways you will live in peace and harmony with them without discrimination," he said.

Querido said for migrants, it is natural to retreat to the people you know,  places where they come from,  however, there is a need to come out of the comfort zones and build socially cohesive societies and also lay firm foundations on which they can build great things.

 
"We are grateful for the strong partnership with the government of Uganda especially the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Labour, Gender and Social development who have joined hands with us to fight against human trafficking and improving protection of migrant workers abroad," Sarah Farah Officer-in- Charge Of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said.

"As we are celebrating this day, I want to urge all the migrants from different parts of the world to maintain peace and harmony with the people from whom you seek alyssum," Farah added.

She further said, "IOM will remain committed to contributing strong cooperation between migrants and host communities."

Ykee Benda entertaining the guests at the function

Wycliffe Tugume (Ykee Benda) thanked the IOM for the good work they are doing in the world. "There are so many people who are suffering and only human beings that can help human beings," he said.

He asked the governments of different countries to increase funding to the countries that are giving refugee to the migrants.  Tugume also urged the migrants to be appreciative of the opportunity that is given to them by the host countries and communities.

"I came from the Democratic Republic of Congo to Uganda to do music and I have spent here eight months," Palata Papalas said adding: "For the time that I have lived in Uganda, I have not had any person discriminating against me.

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