Uganda: Refugee inclusion in the Demographic Health Survey

Context

Uganda hosts the second-highest number of refugees globally and the highest number in Africa, with over 1.5 million refugees. The majority have arrived in Uganda since 2016 from South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Uganda maintains a progressive refugee policy. Its legal framework allows refugees freedom of movement as well as the right to work, establish a business, own property, and access national services. A longtime global leader in its approach to peaceful co-existence with host communities, Uganda provides refugees with plots of land for housing and cultivation in dedicated settlements and access to the same health centers and schools as host communities.

As part of its wider commitment to refugees, the Government of Uganda has made an explicit pledge under the Global Compact to include refugees into its national statistics.

Activity

The proposed activity will support representative refugee inclusion in the national Demographic and Health Survey (DHS), which captures a rich set of health-related concepts and a range of socio-economic indicators. It will add two strata to the DHS sample for the refugee population, one for the northern and another for the southwestern part of the country, reflecting the current distribution of refugees in the country.

Results

The collection of health data of refugees and host communities will inform the provision of inclusive health services and improve the efficient allocation of resources. It will inform UNHCR humanitarian assistance and World Bank development programs, as well as multiple government initiatives. The collection of health data of refugees and host communities will inform the provision of inclusive health services and improve the efficient allocation of resources. It will inform UNHCR humanitarian assistance and World Bank development programs, as well as multiple government initiatives.

Partners

The DHS is implemented by Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS), in close collaboration with the Ministry of Health and funded by United States Agency for International Development, the United Nations Children’s Fund, the United Nations Population Fund and the World Bank. The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), the World Bank and the JDC will be the primary international supporters; technically, financially and logistically. Access to the refugee settlements for data collection will be facilitated by UBOS, the Office of the Prime Minister, UNHCR, and local authorities.

Contact

For further details on the JDC support for this activity, please contact:

• contact@jointdatacenter.org
• Felix Schmieding, JDC Focal Point, schmiedf@unhcr.org