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Shs1.2 Trillion Raised at Refugee Summit: Who Contributed What?

The Uganda Refugee summit fell short of its US$2billion collection target, with only US$352.6m (Shs1.26 trillion) on Friday.

The two-day summit started on Thursday and Uganda had hoped to collect US$2bn (approximately Shs7trillio) to cater for the increasing refugees for the coming four years.

But the Uganda Government says it will cost US$8bn to cater for the refugees.

Hosted by President Yoweri Museveni and United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres at the Common Wealth Resort Munyonyo, the summit saw top diplomats gather to chat away forward to end the refugee crisis across the globe.

The summit was convened to raise funds for joint efforts to support activities in refugee settlements.

Speaker after speaker who took to the podium showered praises for the Ugandan Government for opening its doors to the refugees.

In his address, Museveni told guests that Government has looked beyond the colonial established boundaries to instead concentrate on the humanitarian crisis eating up the globe.

“We do not pay attention to the colonial borders which some actors, oblivious of the higher African interest, fetishist as if they were made by God when, in fact, they were made by imperialists in Berlin in 1884 when Africans were asleep and disorganized,” the President explained.

He called for establishment of future business links to help refugees.

“I tell Ugandans that these are your unfortunate brothers and sisters having the misfortune, for the moment, of being misgoverned or being unprotected against demonic rebels,” Museveni said, emphasizing refugees should be treated just like indigenous people.

He  said that whereas in other countries refugees with skills are forced to remain in the refugee camps, that won’t be the same case with Uganda as, “Refugees should stay in gazetted areas, but if they have skills and capital they can relocate to cities.”

He welcomed the contributions saying, “You have really saved lives. These poor people can die if they don’t get support. They need food, medicine. If they don’t get it, they definitely perish, and all these 1.2m people to die would be a disaster.”

The President said that refugee families lost their property in their homes but, they shouldn’t be left to lose their opportunity to be educated when they come in Uganda.

He further told the international community that Uganda will continue to open space for these refugees from the neighbouring countries.

“After all our own population is growing, so 1.2m new entrants isn’t such a problematic increase only that they need to be catered for,” Museveni said.

Pledges At Glance

Among the local companies that pledged support was MTN Uganda that pledged Shs1billion that will go towards immunizing children in refugee camps.

The other contributors to the humanitarian cause include;

Japan -USD10M

Australia-USD2M

China -USD500,000

Ireland -USD2.3M

Kenya-USD100,000

Norway-USD4M

South Korea-USD6.8M

Denmark-USD40M

Netherlands-5.5m

India-USD1M

Sweden-USD27.1M

Australia-USD5M

Africa Union-USD100,000

Italy-5M Pounds

Canada-USD11M

Somalia-USD100,000

The international community used the platform to get back at USA President, Donald Trump over his plans to build a wall on Mexico border to handle the immigration crisis in the world super power.

United Nations boss, Antonio Guterres went first tweeting, “While others put barriers to keep refugees out, Uganda is welcoming record numbers with compassion.”

While announcing his country’s contribution, Alexander De Croo, Deputy Prime Minister Belgium said, “Uganda didn’t seek excuses or close its borders, it didn’t build walls. It opened its arms to refugees.”

The latest figures from the United Nations Human Rights Commission for Refugees indicate that 84% of the world’s refugees live in countries that struggle to provide services for their own people like Uganda.

Currently, Uganda is home to 1,277,476 refugees with most of them coming from South Sudan, Somalia, DRC and Burundi.

 

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