11/05/2003

Refugees International has spearheaded an effort to stimulate a greater United Nations response to the crisis of internal displacement in northern Uganda. [For more information, see RI’s latest bulletin on Uganda.]  The following letter was sent to Jan Egeland, the Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs in the name of 11 non-governmental organizations, including RI:


October 30, 2003

Mr. Jan Egeland
Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
United Nations
New York, NY 10017

Dear Mr. Egeland:

We, the undersigned non-governmental organizations working in international humanitarian and development assistance, write to express our strong concern about the severe and deteriorating humanitarian situation in northern Uganda.

We very much appreciate your commitment to focus on “forgotten crises” – and Northern Uganda certainly fits that category.  As you know, more than a million people are displaced from their homes; there is clear evidence of rising malnutrition and disease; and IDP camps and communities remain at constant risk of attack from the rebel Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA).

The situation for children is especially disturbing: in the past year alone, more than 8,400 children have been abducted by the rebels and forced to serve as soldiers, porters, or sexual slaves, and many children have been killed outright by the LRA or in battles with the Ugandan People’s Defense Force.  Thousands of children, fearing abduction, abandon their homes in the countryside every night to sleep in the relative safety of larger townships.  Health and education services are completely overwhelmed or nonexistent.  The future of the Ugandan children trapped in this conflict is increasingly bleak.

We are also pleased that OCHA is building its presence in Uganda, by appointing a new Head of Office to strengthen OCHA’s coordination role and recruiting a field officer to serve in northern Uganda.  Given the huge number of IDPs and the extreme risks faced by children in this conflict, we are hopeful that your planned trip to Uganda will strengthen UN involvement in coordinating humanitarian assistance to the war-affected population, including support for emergency education, maternal-child health, reproductive health, and water/sanitation.

Equally important is a strong OCHA voice advocating for the protection of Ugandan citizens impacted by the conflict, especially women and children, and the humanitarian workers who serve them.

We are certain that you will share your findings with the Secretary-General, with the UN Security Council, and with the Government of Uganda, to impress upon them the extreme costs of this conflict and the need to look at all options, including direct negotiations with the LRA, to resolve this conflict.  Again, we admire your commitment to assisting vulnerable populations and your initiative in visiting Northern Uganda, and we look forward to working with you to address this humanitarian crisis.  Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

 
Action Against Hunger
Air Serv International
American Refugee Committee
CARE
Christian Children’s Fund
Episcopal Relief and Development
International Rescue Committee
Jesuit Refugee Service/USA
Refugees International
The Episcopal Church USA
World Vision, Inc. (WVUS)