Why Uganda is rated globally as an excellent home for refugees

By Musa Ecweru

As the West is grappling with the refugee crisis and many are being turned back to Turkey under a negotiated arrangement, Uganda is increasingly gaining global consideration as a model country in refugee management.

This has not come out of nothing; there are numerous yardsticks that can be used for measuring the transformation that has taken place in Uganda over the years.

Notable among the many is Uganda's open and welcoming asylum space. It is important to remember that in the 1970s and early 1980s, Uganda was one of the highest generators of refugees in Africa. Our people fled to all corners of the world searching for sanctuary because they were persecuted back home. Some suffered segregation; they were dehumanised and reduced to second-class human beings; while others suffered inhumane treatment and moved on with their lives until there were favourable conditions for voluntary return home.

Today, Uganda is home to over 500,000 refugees mainly from South Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Somalia, Eritrea, Rwanda and Kenya.

All these groups now call Uganda their home away from home. Even with peace agreements and on-going negotiations, Uganda continues to receive over 100 asylum seekers every day.

The question is why suddenly has Uganda become a "beacon of hope" for individuals and communities in distress?  And why is Uganda considered a model country in refugee management in the whole world today?

The following four fundamental pillars are the reasons Uganda now enjoys this international image;

l- Stability:  Uganda is an island of stability and peace in the region and this has created a conducive environment and sanctuary for people fleeing conflict and persecution.

2- Hospitable population: Our rich culture of hospitality and warmth is welcoming to visitors, especially those in distress. Ugandan citizens are not xenophobic, or racist, which makes us unique in Africa and the whole world.

3- Humane and forward-looking refugee policy: Uganda has one of the best refugee policies in the whole world.  A policy that emphasises "a rights'-based" approach for managing all asylum seekers and refuges - Uganda knows refugees are human beings.

4- A very vibrant refugees management team supervised by the Prime Minister: Our office has  synergised very well with the UN family and all the humanitarian partners in delivering appropriate and real time interventions to manage both sudden influxes and  settlements.

The Government is aware that the host communities also need to be helped to cope with the pressure that refugees are putting on their limited resources and the environment. In that direction, the Government working with partners has come up with "A settlement transformation agenda" meant to empower both the host communities and the refugees and to repair the damaged environment  in the settlements.

As government, we remain committed to resolving all our internal contradictions amicably without allowing our country to degenerate to generate refugees.

We also stand ready to share our wealth of experience on managing migration and refugees with the rest of the world.

We, therefore, must stand tall in the face of all pressures from within and without that threaten to undermine our own stability as a country.  We will continue to encourage and support peaceful resolution of all the conflicts in the Great Lakes Region and beyond so that our refugees can also one day voluntarily return to their countries as a durable solution.

The writer is the Minister of State for Relief, Disaster Preparedness and Refugees, Office of the Prime Minister