Africa-Press – Uganda. The European Union has committed to funding Uganda’s life-saving humanitarian assistance to refugees and host communities amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Ms Anna Merrifield, the Charge d’Affaires of the European Union to Uganda, in a press statement released to celebrate the World Refugee Day yesterday, said the EU has so far provided Euros 34.8 million (Shs151 billion) of humanitarian assistance to Uganda, out of which Euros 2.8 million (Shs12 billion) is in support of the national Covid-19 vaccination rollout.
World Refugee Day honours the strength and resilience of refugees and encourages public awareness and support of the refugees.
“As we join the rest of the world to commemorate World Refugee Day, we reaffirm our commitment to continue to work with the government of Uganda to strengthen resilience among vulnerable refugees and host communities and improve their peaceful cohabitation,” Ms Merrifield said.
“Even if borders are closed to asylum seekers since March 2020 as a prevention measure to Covid-19, Uganda has temporarily opened its borders to neighbours fleeing conflict,” she added.
Ms Merrifield said the situation has become particularly critical in recent months, with food security deteriorating in all refugee settlements.
She said basic social services such as healthcare and education are also under increased pressure since the start of the pandemic.
Ms Merrifield said women, girls, and people with disabilities are disproportionately affected and that the impact is especially hard on children with the closure of schools, leading to significant increase in school dropout rates, child labour, and early teenage pregnancies.
“With the spread of Covid-19, it is imperative that all development partners work together with the government of Uganda to meet the basic needs of refugees as a first step to prevent violence, while considering options to safely re-open schools,” she said.
Ms Isabelle D’Haudt, the head of EU Humanitarian Aid Operations in Uganda, said the European Union Emergency Trust Fund for Africa helps to increase the resilience of the most vulnerable by addressing the longer-term needs of refugees and their host communities, including improving economic and employment opportunities with skilling.
She said the EU also supports efforts to promote protection against environmental shocks and natural disasters and access to justice and protection.
