6/13/08

First Tripartite meeting on the voluntary repatriation of Congolese refugees from Uganda

First Tripartite meeting on the voluntary repatriation of Congolese refugees from Uganda

Joint Communiqué

13 jun. 08 - 11.41h

At the invitation of the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the first Tripartite Technical Working Group meeting convened in Kinshasa from 11-12 June 2008, involving the DRC, Uganda, and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

The objective of the meeting was to realise the legal framework for consultations between the two governments, and the establishment of the Tripartite Working Group: DRC-Uganda-UNHCR.

The three delegations at the meeting agree on the following seven points.

The Ugandan government and UNHCR Uganda should provide the DRC government and UNHCR in the DRC with information on the return zones and villages of Congolese refugees living in Uganda.

The DRC government should conduct three month intensive French classes for the Congolese refugees after returning to the country.

The Ugandan government and UNHCR Uganda should sensitise the Congolese refugees who wish to return spontaneously on the importance of obtaining valid documents prior to their departure to the DRC.

UNHCR in Uganda and the DRC should sensitise the Congolese refugees in their settlements on the dangers of landmines and unexploded ordnances.

At the request of the Congolese refugees living at Kyaka 1 refugee settlement in Uganda who have lost ties with their country, the DRC government is to conduct a mission to Uganda to inform the refugees of the general living conditions in their country of origin, in particular in the areas of return and the reintegration mechanisms.

The Ugandan government and UNHCR should continue to identify and register Congolese refugees living outside refugees settlements in Uganda.

The DRC and Ugandan governments and UNHCR should rapidly work towards concluding a Tripartite Agreement to facilitate voluntary repatriation of Congolese refugees living in Uganda. The Tripartite agreement should foresee the establishment of the Tripartite Commission to elaborate and develop the practical modalities related to the agreed accord.

The Tripartite Working Group agreed to convene its next meeting in Kampala, Uganda in October 2008. A timetable of activities was also established, with the first repatriation of refugees expected to start in July 2009.
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