This manual is of great value: We should not assume that duty bearers have been sufficiently trained on core concepts, nor should we assume that target beneficiaries are fully informed. What Refugee Law Project’s work has revealed again and again is that, in the absence of adequate training, duty bearers can make the
worst of mistakes with the best of intentions.
The provision of specialized, evidence-based and context-oriented trainings to a wide range of stakeholders is vital. It strengthens protection of vulnerable populations, it enhances accountability of duty-bearers, and,piece by piece, it contributes to the development of rule of law and to the broader goal of good governance.
That in turn creates the environment in which people are able to live in dignity, regardless of their status, a vision that Refugee Law Project has held close ever since its inception in 1999.
As a country hosting one of the largest refugee populations on the continent, and as a nation still nursing its own wounds from many years of conflict, Uganda has great need for widespread awareness of the issues contained in this manual, including amongst others the key rights of refugees and their hosts, the key impacts
of war that duty bearers need to look out for, the critical psychosocial issues that contribute to self-reliance, the elements of transitional justice that allow forcibly displaced persons to come to terms with their past.
Training on refugee rights and protection is thus a means of enhancing protection for both hosts and refugees.I am very confident that this training manual will go a long way in ensuring that the content of trainings is consistent and comprehensive, and that, ultimately, this will result in more aware and better trained duty
bearers who are able to foster a win-win relationship between refugees and their hosts, whether in northern or western Uganda, or indeed elsewhere.
Prof Chris Dolan
Director, Refugee Law Project