Uganda’s Minister for Relief, Disaster Preparedness and Refugees, Hilary Onek last month visited the Kingdom of Belgium where he met with the European nation’s head of Bilateral Affairs.
During the meeting, Onek highlighted the importance of continued support for refugees in Uganda, according to information from the Belgian Embassy in Uganda.
Onek’s visit to Brussels came on the heels of a June seminar organised by the Belgian Embassy in Uganda under the auspices of the EU Delegation in Uganda. The seminar was held to provide skills on Early Development Preparedness and Response to the Expected DRC refugee influx in Uganda.
Uganda is home to more than 1,000,000 registered refugees and asylum seekers. Most migrate from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), South Sudan, Somalia and Eritrea. (UNHCR, Uganda, 2016.) Others originate from Sudan, Ethiopia, Rwanda and Burundi, making it the country with the largest number of refugees being hosted in Africa and top ten in the world.
Belgium is a key partner in the country’s support for refugees, providing financing humanitarian operations both in South Sudan as in Northern Uganda, and offering skills development training for refugees and host communities in the refugee settlements.
