Timed to reached Deputy Minister of Development Raymond Johansen´s journey to Uganda shortly after the elections scheduled for Thursday 23 February, three major international NGOs have written a letter to him requesting that Norway now pushes for the United Nations´ role in Uganda to be put on the political agenda. (18-FEB-06)
This article, written by HRH / Niels Jacob Harbitz, is based on the letter sent to Raymond Johansen dated 14 February, from Care International, the Norwegian Refugee Council and Save the Children Norway.
The letter, signed by the Secretary Generals of Care International, the Norwegian Refugee Council and Save the Children Norway, recommends that the UN does the following:
1) Continue to support a regional, peaceful and non-violent solution to diarm groups in East DRC, Uganda and South Soudan. When the mandate for the UN Mission to Sudan (UNMIS) is up for renewal in March, Norway should ask all relevant parties to speed up the process to expand the UNMIS. At the same time, the recommendations from the regional Tripartite Commission on disarming of groups in East DRC ought to be considered.
2) Name a special UN Envoy for Northern Uganda. This envoy´s mandate should be to cooperate with all local, regional and international parties to make possible negotiations between all belligerents in the conflict.
3) Put together a panel of experts to investigate and monitor all activities of the LRA, the network supporting the LRA and this network´s influnce on regional peace and security.
4) Encourage all parties to declare ceasefire immediately, ask for increased international diplomatic and financial support for ongoing efforts, and condemn all support to the LRA.
5) Insist that the authorities of Uganda recognise the full extent of the humanitarian crisis and allocate means for humanitarian aid to internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Northern Uganda. The authorities must, in accordance with the country´s national polic for internally displaced, and international conventions signed by Uganda, prioritise protection of civilians and secure humanitarian organisations access to the internally displaced. Furthermore, army personel must be held responsible for attacks against civilians.
6) Make sure the UNHCR establishes a presence in Pader, Kitgum and Gulu, where the protection problems for internally displaced are big. This, in turn, will require that promised funding from donor countries´ is made available as soon as possible.
Copies of the letter have been sent to Jan Egeland, UN Deputy Secretary General and coordinator of all UN-lead emergency relief efforts (OCHA), Minister of Foreign Affairs Jonas Gahr Støre, Minister of Development Erik Solheim and Solheim´s political adviser Gry Larsen.
