By Felix Oketcho
State Minister for disaster preparedness, Hon Lillian Aber has praised Japan’s government for its steadfast assistance in aiding Uganda and other nations that host refugees support programme.
“We continue to provide safety and hope to those fleeing conflict and persecution within the region. This hospitality is currently facing challenges of dwindling humanitarian funding,” lillian Aber stated.
This week Japan announced a contribution of $ 4.3 million towards the supplementary budget to support refugees programme.
She stressed that the Japanese Government has always supported with remarkable generosity and commitment towards supporting refugees in Uganda.
“We would like to thank Japan’s unwavering support to the UN agencies intervening in this protracted refugee crisis which has made a profound difference in the lives of many who have been forcibly displaced from their homes,” she added.
She noted that providing the basic needs for refugees is quite expensive, but Japan has continued to support the cause by ensuring that vital services reach out to those who need it the most through their generous contributions.
“This includes to alleviate the food needs of refugees, support sexual and reproductive health for women and girls in refugee settlements and enable UNHCR to support various services to the refugees. It will not only save lives but will also help to restore dignity and hope to those who have lost so much,” she Aber said.
She explained that since 2020 to date, Japan’s support to the Word Food Program (WFP) is estimated at $11.4 million in grants including $2.9million in 2024 alone.
“And these funds are earmarked for both humanitarian work within the refugee settlements and programmes aimed at reducing hunger and malnutrition in the Karamoja sub region.
Uganda is currently the largest refugee hosting country in Africa, with refugees with about 1.3 refugees in various parts of the country.
Other contributions received include 2,000 metric tonnes of rice donated in February 2024 worth sh8.5 billion to provide hot meals to about 50,000 refugees who will enter Uganda as new arrivals in 2024/2025.
The UNHCR also received $2.4million towards Uganda’s Country Refugee Response Plan for 2024.
Aber said this is in addition to US$1.6million and $4million received in 2022 and 2023, a clear indication that Japan continues to cement its place as a key ally in humanitarian support to Uganda.
“We also look forward to a year of close cooperation and collaboration with Japan in the implementation of some of our GRF pledges made at the GRF summit last December,” she added.
She thanked the UN and other humanitarian agencies who are supporting the refugee cause.
The Japanese Ambassador to Uganda, Sasayama Takuya pledged their continued support to all their partners hosting refugees like Uganda.
“Currently we are affected by a lot of challenges regionally and internationally but we are happy to announce another $ 4.3 million towards the supplement budget from the government of Japan towards refugee response to Uganda,”she explained.
She revealed that while in Geneva, Japan’s foreign minister made a commitment to assist vulnerable refugee children in Geneva.
Takuya underlined the need of supporting women in their role as child bearing.
Suzan Namondo, the UN Resident Coordinator, expressed her happiness with the Japanese government’s ongoing humanitarian help for vulnerable communities.
She called for more investment partnerships like in agriculture, where extending the value chain is necessary to produce superior products.
