The Global Compact on Refugees emphasizes a multi-stakeholder and partnership approach towards the sustainable management of the refugee crisis. In regards to forced migration regulation in Uganda, different legal instruments lay the foundation for collaboration at international, regional, and national levels.. For instance, the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF) is government-led, spearheaded by the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) and the Ministry of Local Government (MoLG), facilitated by UNHCR, and guided by the participation of a wide range of stakeholders. The Government is catalyzing a ‘whole-of-government’ comprehensive response to refugees by engaging relevant stakeholders including the United Nations, development and humanitarian partners, international financial institutions, international and national Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), academia, the private sector, refugees and host communities, and other members of civil society.
The Migration Policy Framework for Africa and Plan of Action (2018–2030) emphasizes the linkages between migration and development, including recognizing the importance of the diaspora to the continent’s development, in line with the Agenda 2063. The African Union’s Three-Year Implementation Plan of Action for the Global Compact for Migration in Africa (2020–2022) further signals the continent’s commitment to safe, orderly, and regular migration. Concerning the mobility aspects of crisis and humanitarian response, the African Union adopted the Kampala Convention in 2009, which emphasizes the role of States in supporting and protecting internally displaced persons (IDPs) and links internal displacement, harmful practices, conflict, human rights violations and unintended consequences of development projects.
In the Middle East, one of the most attractive labor migrant receiving areas, there have been efforts to regularize the process of labor importation and build a regulatory framework to keep track of the migrants and monitor the implications of massive migration. As early as the 1980s, the Middle East had become one of the largest markets for labor migration in the world. The region attracts migrants from Africa because their labor importation laws are flexible due to not granting permanent residency to foreigners which makes it easy for migrant workers to enter as long as there is work to be done.
In Eastern Africa, the dominant patterns are that most of the labor mobility is occurring within the region. And yet the focus of the popular debate is on destinations outside the region. For example, in the 2019 Afrobaromenter survey in Uganda, 30 per cent of potential emigrants answered that they would move to another country in East Africa. East African countries have been involved in engagements with international organizations, and in particular European governments interested in arresting population mobility in the region. Bilateral action to strengthen cooperation, establish consultative processes, and provide funding for interdicting flows to Europe has been undertaken.
The European Union governments, for instance, launched the Khartoum Process in 2014 involving cooperation with Eastern African and Horn of Africa countries aimed at migration management. In 2015, the Valletta Summit on Migration brought together European and African leaders to strengthen cooperation between the two continents. Participating states and organizations adopted the Joint Valletta Action Plan (JVAP) in a spirit of solidarity, partnership, and shared responsibility. The JVAP became the Europe-Africa framework to address migration policy. It is built around five domains – 1) Development benefits of migration and addressing root causes of irregular migration and forced displacement. 2) Legal migration and mobility 3) Protection and Asylum 4) Prevention of and fight against irregular migration, migrant smuggling, and trafficking in human beings 5) Return, readmission, and reintegration. The Khartoum and Rabat processes are mandated to follow up on the implementation of the JVAP.
In addition, the Better Migration Management (BMM) program set up in 2016, and financed by the EU Trust Fund for Africa to the tune of 40 million Euros, is one such outcome of these modes of cooperation. The EU, through the BMM program, supports the following activities; Improvement of political frameworks and regional coordination for safe migration, capacity building to counter migration-related crimes, and improving services that assist and protect migrants.[1] For example, the Regional Development and Protection Programme (RDPP): Support Programme to the Refugee Settlements and Host Communities in Northern Uganda (SPRS-NU). The overall objective of the action is to reduce the risk of violent conflict between host communities and refugees in the refugee-hosting districts of Northern Uganda, namely Adjumani, Arua, Kiryandongo, and Yumbe.
At the 2022 European Union – African Union Summit, the two regional blocks committed to deepening their cooperation in finding durable solutions for asylum seekers, refugees, and vulnerable migrants in need of international protection. EU and AU leaders also agreed to revitalize the work of the joint AU-EU-UN Tripartite Task Force, address the root causes of irregular migration and forced displacement, and enhance cooperation in tackling all migration-related issues.
Recent data indicates that although there is a funding gap that still exists, different stakeholders have recognized the need for a coordinated approach to solving migration issues. This realization explains an overall improvement in service delivery in government hospitals in refugee-hosting communities and other infrastructures such as roads and schools because they receive special attention from development partners. This has improved attitudes of host communities because they feel supported. A lot more has been done like capacity building, in terms of training of local partners and refugee-hosting districts and government MDAs. This has been done hand in hand with the Office of the Prime Minister which is the government entity in charge of refugee affairs in the country. The Ministry of Internal Affairs has undertaken interventions to improve delivery of immigration services. These include; the enhancement of the e-Immigration System, introduction of the e-Immigration Border Management System and system integrations with various MDAs to improve accountability and leverage from other system gains.
[1] Plans in place : BMM and partners discuss measures for safe and legal migration in 2021, accessed via https://ec.europa.eu/trustfundforafrica/all-news-and-stories/plans-place-bmm-and-partners-discuss-measures-safe-and-legal-migration-2021_en
By Patricia Namakula
Director of Research & PR
