Japan will always support Uganda’s refugee efforts

By Kazuaki Kameda

Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), is the executing agency of Japanese Official Development Assistance. Through the agency, Japan supports developing countries globally.

JICA has been supporting the Government of Uganda for many years in various sectors such as
agriculture, infrastructure development, health, education, water and reconstruction through a wide range of modalities.

The world appreciates and applauds Uganda’s openness towards hosting large numbers of refugees from the region, whose management call for international support. In this regard, JICA has been supporting the local governments and communities in Uganda’s refugee hosting communities to reduce the burden brought by the growing numbers.

JICA’s support has been in the form of a project to promote rice growing to improve food security, capacity development of local governments in refugee hosting areas, and deployment of Japanese Overseas Cooperation Volunteers to offer additional social service support in refugee settlements.

Facing a growing influx of South Sudan refugees, the Government of Uganda appealed to the international community for support at the Refugee Solidarity Summit in Kampala in June 2017.

As part of the response, JICA held a side event with UNDP to highlight the importance of supporting local governments while the Government of Japan pledged to extend Emergency Grant Aid to the tune of $10 million, and additional grant aid in form of medical and food assistance. In July 2017, a survey called ‘JICA Study on Refugee Hosting Communities in the West Nile Sub-region of Uganda; Situation Assessment and Needs’, was launched.

The survey had three-fold objectives: To assess the situation in both refugee hosting communities and settlements with respect to - social infrastructure in four sectors (health, education, water, and road and small bridges); and social structures and relationships.

To identify priority needs in the four sectors that require urgent attention with a view to easing the burden on the host communities. To identify and formulate social infrastructure projects to be considered for support by partners willing to offer support.

The main outputs of the survey were to support the following: Identification of prioritised needs based on technical assessment in four sectors integrating both first time refugee hosting communities and settlements; formulation of social infrastructure project profiles in four sectors according to the priorities; integration of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) maps and related data covering refugee hosting communities and settlements, which can be utilised by the Government of Uganda and its partners for planning of future projects.

In addition to that, the methodology of supply and demand gap analysis for services in refugee settlements, used for this survey is considered to be applicable for integrated planning.

While addressing government officials from ministries involved in refugee issues about the survey findings, I did emphasise that the survey’s findings ought to be utilised to formulate and implement appropriate refugee projects in Uganda.

I also pledged that JICA will continue to assist refugees and refugee-hosting communities together with the Government of Uganda. Our pledge, indeed, is that Japan cherishes the mutually rewarding relationship, and will always stand-by Uganda in refugee support interventions and other development endeavours.

Mr Kameda is the Ambassador
of Japan to Uganda.