Overview
- The declaration was signed in New York during the UN General Assembly by Dutch minister David van Weel and Ugandan foreign minister Odongo Jeje Abubakhar.
- Authorities describe the plan as a small pilot involving a limited number of people, with reporting indicating only some dozens at the outset.
- The proposed center in Uganda would temporarily host people rejected in the region until they can be returned to their countries of origin.
- The Dutch government says the project will be coordinated with the European Commission, UNHCR and IOM to ensure legal compliance.
- Opposition parties and rights groups, including Amnesty International, warn of detention risks and Uganda’s anti‑LGBTQ law, and the plan’s future could depend on October elections in the Netherlands.