By Parliament Press
Deputy Speaker of Parliament Thomas Tayebwa has called for closer international cooperation to tackle armed conflict, organised crime and rising geopolitical tensions.
Tayebwa made the call on Wednesday while chairing a session of the joint parliamentary assembly of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) and the European Union in Brussels, Belgium.
He said conflicts disrupt public services, destroy livelihoods and divert money from development. He urged lawmakers to support mediation and hold their governments to commitments on conflict prevention and peace, saying organised crime and instability increasingly cross national borders.
“Our partnership should help strengthen respect for sovereignty, international law and the protection of civilians. It should also support international institutions in which developing countries and smaller states have a meaningful voice,” Tayebwa said.
Uganda’s refugee funding gap
Tayebwa said Uganda hosts more than two million refugees, including people from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan, Burundi and South Sudan. He said Uganda receives only 12.5 per cent of the funding it needs for its refugee response, forcing the government to redirect money earmarked for development to humanitarian assistance.
“As a country, we will never close our borders to anyone seeking refuge because of conflict,” he said.
Sheema Municipality MP Dicksons Kateshumbwa called for reforms to global financial governance, measures to ease debt pressures and more development financing. He said unemployment and limited opportunities can leave young people vulnerable to recruitment into armed conflicts, citing the recruitment of young people from developing countries to fight in the Russia–Ukraine war.
A greater role for developing countries
Former Chadian foreign minister and United Nations envoy Mohamed Saleh Annadif said the renewed OACPS–EU partnership shows how international institutions can adapt to changing global conditions. He called for African, Caribbean and Pacific countries to have a greater role in decisions on issues such as the energy transition and conflict resolution.
Zimbabwean delegate Lt Gen Michael Reuben Nyambuya urged the OACPS and the EU to defend the United Nations’ central role in maintaining international peace and security.
