Wednesday 18 December was International Migrants Day, with Ugandan events at St Peter's Primary School Nsambya. This year's commemoration was themed on Social Cohesion between migrants and host communities.

In her opening remarks, IOM Uganda Mission Officer-in-Charge Sahra Farah, said we should celebrate not just international migrants, but also hospitable host communities such as Uganda.

Dr Antonio Querido, the Acting UN Resident Coordinator in Uganda, delivered the closing remarks on the theme. Below is Dr Querido's speech in full:

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International Migrants Day, 18 December 2019
Kampala, Uganda
Speech by Dr. Antonio Querido, Acting UN Resident Coordinator and FAO Representative

The Chief Guest,
Honourable Ministers and representatives of Ministries, Departments and Agencies,
Members of the Diplomatic Corps,
Representatives of UN agencies and civil society Organizations,
Local Government leaders
Ladies and Gentlemen
On behalf of the United Nations in Uganda, I welcome you to the commemoration of International Migrants Day 2019. This is a day that

gives us a chance reflect on one of the profound and dynamic realities of humanity – migration.
International Migrants Day was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in 2000. This was in recognition of the great contribution that migrants make to humanity, but also to reflect on the challenges they face.
As we have said many times before, we cannot tire to say this, Uganda has for decades been setting a good example for the world in terms of how to treat migrant populations. Many foreigners here see Uganda as a country where they feel welcome; where they can live; feel secure and work.

As United Nations staff, many of us are migrants in our duty stations, whether from different regions of this country or from outside Uganda. And I can say, without fear of contradiction, that most of us feel at home away from home.
That is a testament to the progressive approach of the Government of Uganda and, especially, the humane and hospitable nature of the people of this country. The United Nations applauds you for your humanity.

As we focus on the theme of Social Cohesion this year, my prayer is that we build on the quintessential Ugandan hospitality to deepen cooperation between Ugandans and foreign migrants. One of the best ways to explore the power of our complementarities is to do things together.
You may never know what you from Gulu and your neighbour from Burundi or Congo can achieve until you take the steps to talk together, invest together or sing and play together. It could be that one has a business acumen that the other complements; you could teach me English and I teach you French and each of us is better off for having worked together.

Doing things together, sharing our worlds together is also a sure way to transcend race and cherish our humanity. Many of the things we hear about elsewhere, like xenophobia, will have no chance here. Instead, peace and development will have a greater chance to prevail.
To the migrant communities in this country, I challenge you to take the first steps and reach out to your hospitable hosts and propose doing some things together. It is natural to retreat to the people we know,

people who come from where we come; but let us move out of our comfort zones. By building socially cohesive communities, we lay firm foundations on which we can build to achieve great things.
The United Nations cherishes the oneness of humanity, which is reflected in the mainstreaming of human rights in all our work. On behalf of the United Nations System in Uganda, I pledge our commitment to supports all people in Uganda to build an ever-more cohesive society.

Thank you!