Uganda is the largest refugee-hosting country in Africa, with two million refugees and asylum seekers as of April 2026, most of which living in settlements across the North and Southwest of the country. Refugees face protracted humanitarian needs and are most often dependent on humanitarian aid or other non-self-generated sources of income to provide for themselves and their families. They are also particularly affected by the increasing frequency and scale of climate related hazard such as floods, droughts, and landslide damaging infrastructure and disrupting livelihoods. Despite the persistent humanitarian needs among an ever-increasing caseload of refugees, funding to the response has consistently decreased over the years with a sharp decrease from early 2025. Funding cuts have deeply affected refugees’ access to assistance and services with severe effects on food assistance and access to WASH and health services.  

IMPACT has worked in Uganda since 2017 through its REACH Initiative, supporting humanitarian and development actors with evidence generation and coordination support to guide strategic planning. In 2026, REACH continues to support the response by contributing analysis and data to the Uganda Country Refugee Response Plan and inform its localisation and transition objectives through multisectoral needs assessments in refugee-hosting locations.