African Union Selects Uganda to Host New Humanitarian Agency
The decisions underscore Uganda's growing influence within the African Union and its commitment to humanitarian causes on the continent.
KAMPALA, Uganda— Uganda has been selected to host the African Union's new Humanitarian Agency, marking a significant diplomatic victory for the East African nation, writes Winston Mwale.
The decision was made during the 45th Session of the African Union Executive Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs in Accra, Ghana, from July 18-19, 2024. The council is the second-highest decision-making body of the African Union.
Uganda outperformed Kenya, Nigeria, and Equatorial Guinea in the bidding process, scoring 85.66% in an independent evaluation conducted by the African Union Commission.
The assessment, which began in May 2023, involved site visits to all four candidate countries in May 2024.
Rebecca Otengo, Uganda's Permanent Representative to the African Union, expressed excitement about the win.
"This is the first African Union Agency hosted by Uganda since joining the Union," she said.
Uganda's Foreign Affairs Minister, Gen. Odongo Jeje Abubakhar, attributed the success to the country's experience in handling refugee issues.
"Uganda being the largest refugee hosting country on the African Continent with established legal and institutional frameworks on forcibly displaced persons and impeccable experience in dealing with humanitarian action made her an acceptable candidate to many African Union Members," he stated.
The African Humanitarian Agency, a specialized technical agency of the African Union, will coordinate humanitarian responses in affected member states.
The process of operationalizing the agency in Uganda is set to begin with the approval of a budget to recruit top management staff for the 2025/2026 financial year.
In a separate development, Uganda's Justice Duncan Gaswaga was elected to the African Court on Human and People's Rights for a six-year term during the same session.
The decisions underscore Uganda's growing influence within the African Union and its commitment to humanitarian causes on the continent.