IOM and UNDP start Community-Based Reintegration Programming in Northern Uganda!
On 15 July 2009 IOM and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) entered into a twelve month partnership for "Community-Based Reintegration in Northern Uganda". This unique seed intervention will enable communities to assume a meaningful decision-making role in their recovery and reintegration processes. By assisting 500 vulnerable youth from 20-30 parishes in Gulu and Pader, the Programme will target communities that are experiencing the combined reintegration pressures of returning internally-displaced persons (IDPs), formerly abducted persons, ex-combatants, and unemployed youth struggling to cope with the change from living in an IDP camp to working in their home communities. The centrepiece of this modality is effective community-oriented civil society partnerships and cooperation with local and national government stakeholders including District Councils, local government officials, the Office of the Prime Minister, the Ministry for Internal Affairs, and the Amnesty Commission. By effectively communicating the processes and impact of this Programme to a wide range of stakeholders, IOM and UNDP are expanding government and externally led programming in the areas of reintegration and recovery, which are indivisible parts of the Government of Uganda’s Peace, Recovery and Development Plan for Northern Uganda.
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The Amnesty Commission and IOM Renew their Partnership!
The Ugandan Amnesty Commission and IOM recently renewed their long-standing partnership in the areas repatriation, reception, reinsertion, resettlement, reintegration, reconciliation and peace-building. The Amnesty Commission is the principal implementing agency of the Government of Uganda mandated under the 2000 Amnesty Act to grant amnesty to certain persons as defined by the Act. In addition to performing its quasi-judicial function, the Commission facilitates and monitors demobilization, reintegration and resettlement of reporters; educates the general public on the Amnesty Law; promotes reconciliation in the affected areas; and promotes dialogue and reconciliation within the spirit of the Act. Since its inception, the Commission has granted amnesty to over 22,930 persons from 28 different rebel groups. IOM has provided different types of technical assistance to the Commission ranging from capacity building in Information Counseling and Referral Services (“ICRS”) Preliminary Analysis Report to assisting the Commission in facilitating the safe and voluntary return of Amnestied persons to their place of origin/resettlement and subsequent access to services. In practice, this has been possible through funding generously provided by the United States Agency for International Development and the United Nations Development Programme, not to mention the excellent cooperation with Commission counterparts in the field. IOM eagerly anticipates deeper and more fruitful collaboration with the Commission in 2009-2010!
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Counter-Trafficking and the Plight of Undocumented Congolese Women and Children in Uganda
Alienated and marginalized, some 1,500 undocumented and stranded Congolese migrant women and their children live in abject poverty and misery throughout Uganda. IOM's counter-trafficking programmes are widely acknowledged as International best practice in combating human trafficking. Some 52% of undocumented Congolese women stranded in Uganda earn a living through prostitution, charging as little as 2,500 Ugandan shillings per sex act, sometimes less than half this amount – whatever it takes to put food on the table for themselves and their children. Because these women and their children do not possess any proof of identity or residence, this also means that they find it very difficult to access humanitarian assistance in the places they live (e.g. food aid) – this only negatively reinforces their dependency on prostitution. The prevalence of HIV/AIDS amongst these women is very high, with as many as 65% of undocumented Congolese women suffering from HIV/AIDS. Research undertaken by IOM in late 2008: Rapid assessment in Irregular Congolese migrants revealed that the undocumented migration of Congolese women to Uganda is significantly motivated by insecurity in the D.R. Congo. Not surprisingly the location of these women and children is predominantly in and around the districts with high densities of Ugandan People’s Defense Force (UPDF) personnel such as Gulu, Amuru, Kotido, and Moroto districts. With the high prevalence of HIV/AIDS amongst these women, there is an appreciable risk that unprotected sex amongst these groups will lead to further infections amongst UPDF servicemen and the general population. Without funding, IOM is no longer in a position to continue providing humanitarian support and repatriation assistance to these women and children. Accordingly, IOM is doing all it can to raise awareness and mobilize funding to respond to the desperate situation facing undocumented Congolese Women and Children.
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Enhancing the Implementation of Uganda Migration Policies
Through the provision of technical assistance and training to the Directorate of Immigration under the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Uganda, the strategic and operational preparedness of the Directorate and three Operational Departments has been positively reinforced. Essential migration management equipment and communications systems have been provided to the Government of Uganda that has demonstrably enhanced data management processes. IOM remains committed to assisting the Government of Uganda in attaining the technical means of controlling immigration within its borders.
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