Oryem calls for cooperation to address disasters, epidemics

By Benjamin Jumbe

The minister of state for foreign affairs in charge of international relations Henry Okello Oryem has called for continued cooperation between Uganda and Japan to extend effective measures to assure the safety of the Ugandan people and their livelihood, including that of the Japanese volunteers in Uganda.

The minister made the appeal at the 20^th year anniversary Ceremony for JICA Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV) Program in Uganda held in Kampala.

He argued that the surrounding circumstances are increasingly becoming complex, as evidenced in the occurrence of natural disasters and outbreaks of cross-border epidemics, and as such require working together to address.

Since 2001, over 760 have come to Uganda through the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV) Program and have worked together with local communities, building trust and friendships for the social-economic development of Uganda.