Animal industry state minister Bright Rwamirama has expressed concern over the declining food supplies for refugees in Uganda.

“Uganda is hosting 1,604,813 refugees and the immediate needs are food and shelter. However, there is declining food supplies from the World Food Programme (WFP) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR),” he said on Friday.

The state minister, who is also the MP for Isingiro North, made the remarks in Geneva, Switzerland during the two-day Global Refugee Forum that ended on Friday.

In partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organisation, Rwamirama said on X, formerly Twitter, that Uganda supports both refugees and host communities in climate smart agriculture and called for support from donors for sustainability.

Held every four years, the forum is the world’s largest international gathering on refugees, according to UNHCR.

It is designed to support the practical implementation of the objectives set out in the Global Compact on Refugees, which include easing pressures on host countries, enhancing refugee self-reliance, increasing access to third-country solutions and improving conditions in countries of origin.

It provides the opportunity for States and stakeholders to announce concrete pledges and contributions, highlight progress made, share good practices and take stock of the challenges and opportunities ahead.

There are 13 refugee settlements in Uganda and the WFP has been commending the Government of Uganda for continuing to host refugees and seeking to meet its obligations under the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework, opening up access to local services, providing land and allowing greater integration of refugees with local populations.

Uganda hosts the largest number of refugees in Africa.

However, WFP’s cut in food ratio and prioritisation has left many refugees in Uganda in a fix, forcing some into criminal activities including theft. WFP reduced the food ration to refugees in Uganda to 40% due to funding shortages.

Some refugees in Bidibidi Zone II settlement told the media recently that the reduction saw each of them getting 4kg of maize grain and 1kg of beans for a month yet it can’t last for even two weeks.