The workshop, help in Kampala on July 19th, was the culmination of six months of research and consultations was also attended by representatives from the Office of the Prime Minister, relevant governmental departments, UN agencies and key NGOs. Discussions were guided by the preliminary draft of a study of relevant laws and regulations prepared by Mr Francis Buwule, attorney and advisor to the Uganda Red Cross, with support from the IFRC.
Mrs Rose Nakabugo Bwenvu, chairwoman of the IDRL taskforce, remarked that, “when disasters strike, in many cases, they overwhelm our capacity as a nation, and we need to call on the international community to come to our rescue, but then there are no specific laws how the international community can come in and also how the international relief actors can operate in our country. This study has proven to be timely and informative to the Government, especially because we are now in the process of finalizing the National Disaster Policy”. She added, “As long as we have this study we can improve the policy. It is now in our interest to develop the law.”
The Secretary General of the Uganda Red Cross Society, Mr. Nataka Michael Richard, emphasized his Society’s long-standing commitment to support the government in this area as its auxiliary. “The development of the disaster management policy started in 1998 and the Red Cross has been part of that process, based on our experience in disaster management,” he noted. He expressed his hope that the IDRL study would be useful in improving the draft policy.
Based on the comments and suggestions from the workshop, the Task Force’s report and recommendations will be finalized in the upcoming weeks.