Kikuube and Kiryandongo are among refugee hosting districts where the Jobs and Livelihoods Integrated Refugee Plan (JLIRP) has been rolled out in the country.
Other districts include Kyegegwa, Kamwenge, Isingiro, Lamwo, Madi Okollo, Terego, Adjumani, Yumbe, Obongi, Lamwo, Koboko and Kampala.
The Minister of State for Labour, Employment and Industrial Relations, Col (Rtd) Charles Macodwogo Okello Engola, says the plan will be the cornerstone for all interventions seeking to support refugees and their host communities.
This is after the cognizance of the unrest among refugees and their host communities that the government has rolled out the new plan with redefined strategies to address such key challenges faced in those districts.
He cited the challenges as limited access to land, climate change, informalisation of medium and small enterprises, unemployment, weak coordination among partners, Gender Based Violence, the dwindling food ratios, declining donor support and the effects of COVID-19 pandemic among others.
“The plan is a response to the insurmountable livelihoods challenges faced by refugees and host communities in Uganda. It, therefore, proposes strategies of how to address these challenges to achieve a secure, self-reliant and resilient refugee and host communities in Uganda.” Mr Engola noted.
The minister revealed that the Government of Uganda and its partners began developing the Jobs and Livelihoods Integrated Response Plan in 2018 and it was officially launched last year by the Prime Minister after an inclusive consultation process that attracted various partners including the private sector and refugee hosting district local governments.
The plan that has been developed for an integrated approach and is designed to run for five years, from June 2020 – June 2025 is being implemented by sector lead like the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, Ministry of East Africa Affairs and Uganda Business and Technical Examinations Board.
Others are; Ministry of Education and Sports, Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives and Ministry of Local Government.
The minister was speaking at the regional launches of the plan in Yumbe and Gulu districts which climaxed in Gulu city this week.
Speaking at the same function, the Assistant Commissioner for District Inspection in the Ministry of Local Government, Mr Stephen Idha Koma, said the plan is aligned to NDP III and as such district councils should embrace it.
“Whoever comes to implement a programme on refugees and livelihoods should ensure that they fit within this plan,” he said.
The Gulu Resident City Commissioner, Mr Jane Frances Amongin Okili, said that the plan would help synchronise programmes for refugees and their hosts while ensuring that both benefit from the development interventions.
To develop the plan, financial and technical support was provided by international agencies like UNDP, UNHCR, WFP, World Bank, FAO, ILO, EU, BMZ, DFID, CRRF, USAID and GIZ.
Uganda operates an open-door policy for refugees which has seen more than 1.5 million refugees hosted in different parts of the country.
This also makes Uganda the African country with the highest number of refugees.
