The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Hon. Sam Kutesa had a meeting on Monday 12 February with H.E Federica Morgherini at the European Union Headquarters, Brussels.
Hon Sam Kutesa, who was in Brussels, expressed
appreciation for the European Union’s continued support,
through the European Development Fund, for the
rehabilitation of Northern Uganda, but urged the EU to
increase its support towards Uganda’s refugee crisis, and
link humanitarian assistance to development assistance so
that both the refugees and host communities are catered
for.
This he said would go a long way in enabling the government to cater for the development of refugee-hosting communities and reduce the risk of hostility towards refugees arising out of the perception that they are catered for better than the host communities, and hence maintain the long-term viability of the policy.
He briefed the High Representative on the recent spike in numbers of refugees from the conflicts in South Sudan, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo, and on how this was straining the fragile infrastructure in Uganda’s border areas.
Hon. Sam Kutesa informed the EU Commissioner about the
upcoming International Solidarity Conference on Refugees, which Uganda is co-convening with the United Nations Secretary-General in March 2017, and sought for support towards its organization.
H.E Morgherini pledged the Support of the European Union
and assured Hon. Sam Kutesa that Uganda can count on the
European Union’s political and financial support for hosting
refugees.
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