@article{ART003273434},
author={Ghebru Bethel},
title={Bridging Humanitarian Response and Development Cooperation - Lessons from Uganda’s Refugee Integration Model-},
journal={Multi-cultural Society and Education Studies},
issn={2586-6206},
year={2025},
volume={21},
pages={1-49},
doi={10.22957/mses.21..202512.1}
TY - JOUR
AU - Ghebru Bethel
TI - Bridging Humanitarian Response and Development Cooperation - Lessons from Uganda’s Refugee Integration Model-
JO - Multi-cultural Society and Education Studies
PY - 2025
VL - 21
IS - null
PB - Institute for Migration and Multicultural Studies
SP - 1
EP - 49
SN - 2586-6206
AB - This paper examines how International Development Cooperation (IDC) shapes development-oriented refugee and migration governance in Uganda by tracing the translation of global norms-the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR), the Global Compact for Migration (GCM), the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the Humanitarian-Development-Peace (HDP) Nexus-into national and subnational policy systems. Drawing on a thematic analysis of policy and institutional documents, the study distinguishes between refugees and broader migration categories and situates Uganda’s refugee population-which is predominantly from South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo and characterized by high dependency ratios and child-headed households-as a core analytical variable. Using a multi-level framework, the analysis follows a clear sequence from data to codes, themes, and findings across global inputs, IDC contributions, national frameworks, and local implementation. The findings show that Uganda has achieved significant policy coherence by integrating displacement into the Refugee Act (2006), National Development Plan III (2021-2025), the ReHoPE Strategy, and the National Implementation Plan for the GCM (2024-2028). IDC has been central to this progress, particularly through the IDA18 Sub-Window, EU and BMZ support for NIP implementation, and UNDP and IOM initiatives that strengthen district-level governance. However, the analysis also identifies persistent constraints, including donor dependency, uneven implementation across districts, limited local institutional capacity, climate-related stress, and socioeconomic disparities that undermine refugee self-reliance. A key finding is the relative weakness of the “peace” dimension of the HDP Nexus, which is often substituted with narrower social-cohesion programming. The paper concludes that IDC is most transformative when it supports national ownership, fiscal decentralization, and community participation. Uganda’s experience thus provides nuanced lessons for other refugee-hosting countries, demonstrating both the potential and limitations of embedding global compacts within national development systems.
KW - Uganda;Forced displacement and migration governance;IDC;HDP;Nexus;Global Compact for Migration (GCM) / Global Compact on;Refugees (GCR)
DO - 10.22957/mses.21..202512.1
ER -
Ghebru Bethel. (2025). Bridging Humanitarian Response and Development Cooperation - Lessons from Uganda’s Refugee Integration Model-. Multi-cultural Society and Education Studies, 21, 1-49.
Ghebru Bethel. 2025, "Bridging Humanitarian Response and Development Cooperation - Lessons from Uganda’s Refugee Integration Model-", Multi-cultural Society and Education Studies, vol.21, pp.1-49. Available from: doi:10.22957/mses.21..202512.1
Ghebru Bethel "Bridging Humanitarian Response and Development Cooperation - Lessons from Uganda’s Refugee Integration Model-" Multi-cultural Society and Education Studies 21 pp.1-49 (2025) : 1.
Ghebru Bethel. Bridging Humanitarian Response and Development Cooperation - Lessons from Uganda’s Refugee Integration Model-. 2025; 21 1-49. Available from: doi:10.22957/mses.21..202512.1
Ghebru Bethel. "Bridging Humanitarian Response and Development Cooperation - Lessons from Uganda’s Refugee Integration Model-" Multi-cultural Society and Education Studies 21(2025) : 1-49.doi: 10.22957/mses.21..202512.1
Ghebru Bethel. Bridging Humanitarian Response and Development Cooperation - Lessons from Uganda’s Refugee Integration Model-. Multi-cultural Society and Education Studies, 21, 1-49. doi: 10.22957/mses.21..202512.1
Ghebru Bethel. Bridging Humanitarian Response and Development Cooperation - Lessons from Uganda’s Refugee Integration Model-. Multi-cultural Society and Education Studies. 2025; 21 1-49. doi: 10.22957/mses.21..202512.1
Ghebru Bethel. Bridging Humanitarian Response and Development Cooperation - Lessons from Uganda’s Refugee Integration Model-. 2025; 21 1-49. Available from: doi:10.22957/mses.21..202512.1
Ghebru Bethel. "Bridging Humanitarian Response and Development Cooperation - Lessons from Uganda’s Refugee Integration Model-" Multi-cultural Society and Education Studies 21(2025) : 1-49.doi: 10.22957/mses.21..202512.1
