Topic: The Rights and Status of Refugees
Country: Uganda
Delegate Name: Catherine Hwang
School: Forest Hills Northern High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Uganda position papers GLIMUN 2018 committees
The topic regarding the rights and status of refugees has brought lots of debate among the people and has also become a very pressing topic in our society. Because of the recent corruption in many countries, people have been forced to flee their country in attempts of escaping these conflict zones. A staggering number of 68.5 million individuals are forcibly displaced, 25.4 million of which are refugees. In order to address this matter, in 1951, The United Nations Conference of Plenipotentiaries drafted the Refugee Convention, that provided a set of baseline principles on the protection of refugees. This convention was later signed and ratified by 145 state parties. The 1967 Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees was subsequent to the Refugee Convention and it removed geographical and temporal limitations.
Uganda has always been open to the idea of taking in refugees from its neighboring countries that are going through corruption or simply habiting too many conflict zones. The country’s history with refugees has dated all the way back to the Second World War when the Europeans came to settle on Ugandan territory because of displacement by the war. During the Anyanya movement, Uganda accepted an estimate of 80,000 South Sudanese into the country. During an armed rebellion between the Kenyans and the British colonial government, several Kenan's fled to Uganda in search of refuge. From then on, more refugees from areas such as Ethiopia, Somalia, Burundi, Eritrea, and Rwanda fled to Uganda. By the end of 2015, Uganda became the 8th top refugee-hosting country on a global scale, and the 3rd largest refugee-hosting country in Africa respectively. By the end of 2016, the country hosted approximately 810,000 refugees. By obtaining this position in the global society, enacting the 2006 Refugees Act, and being a part of the Refugee Convention, Uganda clearly believes in the protection and opportunities of those who take refuge in the country. Refugees are protected by both refugee and human rights laws and the obligations that the country has in order to provide a safe environment for them. These laws protect them by virtue of their status as refugees who have crossed international borders.
Having an official standpoint for accepting the rights of refugees, along with being a part of the Refugee Convention, Uganda promotes the protection and rights of refugees that hope to escape conflict zones. An effective start would be encouraging countries to receive advice and directly work with the UNHCR to produce a resolution in which countries that have not already ensured the rights of refugees to implement more financial obligations and also take responsibility for these refugees in need of international support.
