:: Research and Advocacy Department | Refugee Law Project | Faculty of Law

Research & Advocacy

Highlights:

While research outputs are not always immediately available, our current work includes:

Karamoja Changing the Lens Project KARAMOJA: Changing the Lens Project is a human rights research project funded by the Open Society Initiative for Eastern Africa [OSIEA]. The project research focuses on ethnic minority rights violations in Uganda's Karamoja sub-region. For details about the project, please go to the dedicated website at www.karamojainfo.org
Beyond Juba Project
The Beyond Juba Project is a joint initiative of the Refugee Law Project (RLP), the Human Rights and Peace Centre (HURIPEC), and the Faculty of Law (FOL) Makerere University. The project builds on the participating organisations' work on peace and conflict related issues in Uganda, and in particular reflects the outcome of a three day stakeholders dialogue under the same title which was hosted in Kampala by the three collaborating partners in December 2006. [Funded by SIDA and NORAD]
Effective protection of IDPs in northern Uganda.
[ Funded by Oxfam N(O)VIB. ]
Facilitating the East African section of the African Transitional Justice Researchers Network [Funded by ATJRN]
Study on refugee children, young people and their families
Justice Issues Study in West Nile.
[ Funded by DANIDA ]
Humanitarian agencies' approaches to protection [ Overseas Development Institute]
Local integration survey on refugees and host communities [ Funded by University of Witwatersrand ]

Research

Implicit in the RLP's vision is the belief that, while it is imperative to provide support and assistance to displaced persons, steps must also be taken to improve the conditions which make legal aid necessary.

Action-oriented research for advocacy purposes is one of the hallmarks of the RLP. It is usually generated in response to issues identified by our Legal Aid and Training Department. The department also undertakes research work in response to issues that it identifies as connected with justice and forced migration. In turn, our research analysis informs and guides the activities of the other departments while providing a critical analysis of refugee policy, forced migration and justice issues in Uganda.

Research within the RLP consists of two main categories, both of which provide the springboard for our advocacy activities:

Fundamental: This research is action-oriented and focuses on policy stuff that relates to justice and forced migration. Pertaining to the situation of displaced persons in Uganda, this research seeks to improve the policy environment and provide government officials, the United Nations, and NGOs with substantive analysis of policy and current practice regarding displaced persons. Such research is summarized in Briefing Papers, and presented in more depth within the RLP's Working Paper series.

Investigative: This research specifically focuses on emerging issues or seeks to fill in gaps among forced migrants that not much is known about. The inquiry is about some specific issue. As it also verifies reports of human rights violations among displaced persons and returnees, this research allows the RLP to publicly challenge incidents when current law is not upheld, and to monitor the full implementation of international and domestic human rights law. Such research is followed up in a number of ways including press releases, briefing papers for wide dissemination, validation meetings, Radio Talk-shows, Roundtables, and private meetings with key individuals and organizations.

Over the last three years, the Refugee Law Project, the department has been deeply involved with matters of transitional justice and national reconciliation through the Beyond Juba Project. Through conceptual and analytical guidance and multiple advocacy strategies, Beyond Juba Project has worked towards mobilizing support and developing momentum and consensus within government and civil society for a reconciliation process within Uganda, accelerating national towards building a sustainable peace process and catalyzing debates on transitional justice and traditional justice mechanisms.

Beyond Juba Project has also led to the conceptualization and facilitation of the Kitgum Documentation Center, which is Museum-like War Memorial. Memorialization can assist post-conflict societies to recognize and assist survivors of human rights violations, through symbolic reparations, to begin the process of healing, and assist the previously divided society in processes of reconciliation.

Beyond Juba Project has further given birth to yet another project, Changing the Lens, which is primarily concerned with the protection, accountability and livelihoods issues of pastoralists. This is in connection with the ongoing disarmament process and associated interventions in Karamoja sub-region of Uganda.
A major undertaking in the department is one of being a part of an Advisory Consortium on Conflict Sensitivity (ACCS) as four year project. ACCS is supported by DFID, with the overall aim of assisting DFID and partners in strengthening the potential of the government's Peace Recovery and Development Plan (PRDP) and the recovery process in Northern Uganda in order to address the causes of conflict and contribute to sustainable peace and stability. Within the consortium, the department, on behalf of Refugee Law Project, takes the lead in contextual analysis of the overall recovery process (focusing on conflict indicators, issues and dynamics), and early warning as and when necessary. The task of the consortium consists in ensuring the following:

Maintaining a vigilant focus on conflict-sensitivity so that interventions and initiatives under PRDP do no harm and maximize their peace-building potentials
Monitoring the peacebuilding impact of the recovery process in northern Uganda under the framework of PRDP

RLP collaboration in research also extends beyond the political boundary of Uganda. This is particularly so with respect to the African Transitional Justice Network (ATJRN). This network promotes and encourages transitional justice research in Africa through the development of research capacity, the building of transitional justice content knowledge, and the creation of spaces for practitioners and researchers in Africa to share experiences, expertise, and lessons. ATJRN brings together the Centre for Study of Violence and Reconciliation (CSVR), South Africa; the Refugee Law Project (RLP), Uganda; Campaign for Good Governance (CGG), Sierra Leone; and the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD), Ghana. ATJRN has further given birth to the establishment of an Institute for African Transitional Justice (IATJ), an annual week-long course, which was inaugurated in Kampala, Uganda.
The strategic direction of research remains informed programmatically by the key categories of a) Conflicts and their Consequences on forced migration and b) Transitional Justice as post-conflict justice mechanisms.

Advocacy

As each research project is completed, RLP decides how to advocate for change most effectively. The advocacy work of RLP is linked to research; it is evidence-based. Advocacy activities include writing articles in the media, direct discussions with policymakers in the Ugandan government and UNHCR (both in-country and internationally). Networking also takes place with UN OCHA, other human rights and civil society organizations and humanitarian aid agencies. Where possible we work collaboratively with like-minded organizations to leverage change, as in our NRC-IDMC sponsored presentation on northern Uganda to the European Parliament in October 2006; the landmark Constitutional Court ruling on the Right to Privacy and Dignity, January 3, 2011; ongoing partnership with Justice and Law Order Sector (JLOS) and with the Interreligious Council of Uganda (ICU) over National Reconciliation Bill (NRB). RLP also liaise with the parliament of Uganda especially on training regarding Transitional Justice.

Advocacy activities also respond to current events that affect forced migrants including but not limited to refugees, IDPs and returnees. Investigative missions are often conducted in response to changing circumstances and result in RLP Fact Sheets or Briefing Papers that lift up nuances and gaps of research findings on the ground.

Overall, the advocacy strategies that are used by the department with regard to matters of justice and also which pertain to forced migrants involve effective and persuasive communication that include briefing notes, press releases, submission before relevant bodies, documentaries, pictures and posters, lecture series, workshops, meetings with stakeholders, community dialogues, radio talk shows, television shows, training of media practitioners, networking and collaboration with relevant organizations on various matters, court procedures, and working papers.

Get to know the staff.