World Refugee Day is an annual event commemorated every 20th day of June for both the international and local communities to reflect on the realities faced by refugees as forcibly displaced persons and to reaffirm commitment to upholding their rights, dignity, and humanity. This year’s theme, “In Solidarity with Refugees,” serves as both a call to action and a timely reminder that the responsibility of protecting refugees belongs to all of us, across communities, humanitarian and policy actors, and influencers within national, reigional and international boundaries.
This year’s theme aligns welland closely with Refugee Law Project’s (RLP) mission to promote the rights and protection of refugees, asylum seekers, stateless persons, and other forced migrants so that they may uphold and enjoy their human rights in peace and digntiy The Refugee Law Project is also committed to strengthening the capacities of host communities and national institutions to respond to the needs and aspirations of the forced populations in inclusive and equitable ways.
Solidarity with refugees is not just a symbolic ideal for us, rather it is reality and basic motif that we but we put into action every day through direct engagements with the refugees, state and non-state actors as we confront the structural and human rights challenges displaced persons including Internally Displaced Persons face in Uganda. As a country that continues to be one of the largest refugee-hosting countries in Africa, Uganda is home to over 1.8 million refugees as of June 2025. Many of these individuals live in rural districts such as Kiryandongo, Lamwo, Adjumani, Kyegegwa, Kikuube, Yumbe, Moyo, Arua and Hoima where RLP maintains an active and longstanding presence. Many have also moved from the Settlements to urban centres of Uganda including Kampala the Capital City, Mbarara, and Gulu to mention a few specific cities.
Refugees in Uganda frequently encounter a complex range of challenges. These include limited understanding of their legal rights and the laws governing their stay in Uganda; language barriers that obstruct access to justice and essential services and participation in the daily social and economic interactions and engagements; psychological trauma stemming from war, torture, and dislocation into a new environment with limited immediate social networks for protection; and persistent discrimination and marginalization when seeking justice, education, healthcare, and livelihoods Opportunities. Therefore, solidarity with refugees means standing with refugees not as recipients of charity, but as individuals with rights, voices, and capacities and dreams. It entails tackling and dismantling legal, social, and institutional barriers that hinder their full and equal participation in society and the realization of their full potential and dignity.
RLP demonstrates solidarity through its responsive programming which includes: Access to Justice where we seek to bring legal aid services closer to forced migrants, to empower migrants to advocate for their rights, and to strengthen the capacity of justice institutions to deliver justice to refugees and host communities a like; Gender and Sexuality where we seek to ensure that all people can access and enjoy their sexual and gender rights, and to raise awareness of the relationship between Sexual Gender Based Violence and forced migration including the weaponization of sexual violence in conflict as a weapon of war; Mental Health & Psychosocial Wellbeing where we provide forced migrants with the psychosocial and mental health assistance they need to cope with the trauma of the past, restore their functionality, become mentally resilient and become capacitated to meet the demands of life in Uganda for psychosocial wellbeing; Media for Social Change, wwhere we amplify the voices of forced migrants by including them in debates on forced migration and empowering them to become effective advocates and agents for their own rights and wellbeing; Conflict, Transitional Justice & Governance, wwhere we connect the fields of research and practice in the field of forced migration, transitional justice, and governance, and promote healing for a a just and peaceful Uganda that can thrive because all people can peacefully coexist.
Additionally, RLP recognizes the deep psychological impact of forced migration. As a result, we have integrated trauma-informed care and psychosocial support into our community-level activities to promote recovery and resilience among both refugees and host communities. In investing in and fostering peaceful coexistence, RLP organizes and facilitates community dialogues and roundtables, intergenerational dialogues and cultural exchanges, all of which help refugees and hosts find common solutions to shared challenges such as land access, access to basic social services, and personal and community safety.
To support sustainable protection, RLP also builds the capacities of duty bearers, both state and nonstate. In this regard, RLP conducts targeted training for police officers, prison staff, paralegals, local leaders, religious and opinion leaders, and teachers, in order to equip them with the knowledge, tools and capability needed to effective offer inclusive services and to uphold the rights of refugees and host communities effectively.
As we commemorate World Refugee Day 2025, we call on all stakeholders including government agencies, civil society organizations, development partners, the private sector, media, and members of the public to each consider taking meaningful steps in showing solidarity that provide opportunities for refugees to feel safe, secure and supported. This may include listening to refugees and ensuring their voices inform decision-making considerations and processes; investing in host communities to encourage sharing services with refugees and, thereby, reduce potential conflicts; actively challenging discrimination and xenophobia by developing and advancing inclusive policies and tackling harmful stereotypes; supporting refugees' access to legal documentation and justice services; and starting to priorite mental health and healing for both refugees and host populations.
At RLP, solidarity is not a once-a-year commitment it is the kinship lens through which we conduct all our work. It is a continuous journey of walking alongside displaced persons, enabling them to reclaim their rights, rebuild their lives, and make valuable contributions to their new communities and homes.
On this World Refugee Day, let us move beyond words and demonstrate solidarity through action. Let us remember that true solidarity is tested and proven in times of adversity, and that the refugee experience though shaped by loss and displacement is ultimately defined by resilience, hope, and human strength rooted in solidary built through strengthening kinship ties with the others.
Loy Aceng, Legal Officer, RLP& Allan, Legal trainee.