Uganda has pledged to fast-track the operationalisation of the African Humanitarian Agency, three years after the African Union approved Kampala as host of the continental body.
Uganda’s Ambassador to Ethiopia and Permanent Representative to the AU, IGAD and UNECA, Rebecca Amuge Otengo, told the AU Peace and Security Council in Addis Ababa that Uganda is working with the AU Commission to conclude the pending processes.
“We are working round the clock with the Department of Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development to expedite the process,” Otengo said.
The agency is expected to be the first AU institution hosted by Uganda since 1963, but its launch has stalled despite AU budget provisions for staffing and operations.
The matter came up as the Council discussed Africa’s worsening displacement crisis. The AU says more than 45 million people had been forcibly displaced across the continent by the end of 2025, including 32 million internally displaced persons and up to 12 million refugees.
The AU also warned of a major funding gap, with only 27 percent of the 11 billion dollars needed for humanitarian response plans in 2025 secured.
Uganda, which hosts more than 1.7 million refugees, called for African-led solutions, predictable financing and stronger support for refugee-hosting countries.
Otengo also announced that Uganda will chair the AU Peace and Security Council in July 2026.
