Sat, 24 Jun 2017 11:36:48 +0000
By OSCAR MALIPENGA
PRESIDENT Edgar Lungu has implored African leaders to all join Uganda in supporting its noble undertaking in whatever little way they can to respond to increased pressure of hosting refugees.
And President Lungu has further implored the International Community to show commitment by increasing their support to Uganda.
The Head of State said this in his intervention statement at the high level dialogue of the Uganda solidarity summit on refugees, at Speke resort, Munyonyo, Kampala, Uganda
“Zambia is ready to share its experiences and expertise on refugee protection, having itself been a longstanding home to refugees from neighbouring countries in the region, as well as from the horn of Africa, for over fifty (50) years,” he said.
President Lungu has assured the government of Uganda of his administration’s preparedness to collaborate in finding durable solutions for protracted cases.
He said Zambia was currently implementing phase two of a model local integration programme for former Angolan and Rwandan refugees who were not willing to return to their countries of origin.
“My government may also consider extending the offer of local integration to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) refugees who have been in Zambia for 10 years or more and for whom returning to their country is not a viable option.
“Zambia reaffirms its commitments made in September, 2016 at the New York leaders’ summit, to maintain an open door policy and ensure that refugees are protected and have access to education and livelihood opportunities,” he said.
He said as recognised by all governments represented at the 2016 New York summit, host governments such as Uganda, Zambia and many more in Africa needed to be consistently and adequately supported by the international community.
President Lungu said Zambia stands ready in the spirit of Ubuntu and Pan-Africanism to support the government of Uganda in any way possible to address the refugee challenge.
President Lungu said the summit was also a time to reflect and share experiences on the implementation of the comprehensive refugee response framework in Uganda. “Coming from a country that had been home to more than three hundred thousand (300,000) refugees in the past, we understand and appreciate the strain that comes with hosting large numbers of refugees.
