World News in Brief: Uganda’s refugee funding crisis, academic freedom tested in Serbia, rural resilience in Afghanistan

This article is published in association with United Nations.

Since the beginning of 2025, 600 refugees have arrived in Uganda each day, bringing the total number of new arrivals to almost two million. But with funding rapidly running out, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) is warning the East African nation will not be able to continue providing life-saving services and aid.  

Uganda has a progressive refugee policy which enables refugees to work and access public services. This coupled with its geographic proximity to crises has made it the continent’s largest refugee-hosting country.

“Emergency funding runs out in September. More children will die of malnutrition, more girls will fall victim to sexual violence, and families will be left without shelter or protection unless the world steps up,” said Dominique Hyde, UNHCR’s director for external relations.

UNHCR estimates that it costs $16 per refugee per month to provide essential services, but at this point, the agency will only be able to deliver $5 worth of aid each month.  

Funding missing

Most refugees are entering Uganda from war-torn Sudan, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo – all countries which have been ravaged by protracted armed conflicts and acute food insecurity.  

These refugees are seeking shelter and life-saving aid, and many of them are children.  

In a recent visit to some of the refugee camps, Ms. Hyde met one 16-year-old girl who fled violence in South Sudan after losing her parents. She is now caring for her four younger siblings alone.  

“She dreams of going back to school, but survival is all she can think about,” Ms. Hyde said.  

Children like her depend on the aid which UNHCR and the Uganda government provide. But with only 25 per cent of the funding required, the aid is quickly disappearing.

“Uganda has opened its doors, its schools, and its health centers. This model can succeed, but it can’t do it alone,” Ms. Hyde said.  

A test of democratic resilience in Serbia as crackdown on protests continues

Independent human rights experts warned Monday that Serbia’s intensifying crackdown on protests and protestors — especially students, professors and civil society — violates international human rights and undermines democracy.  

The protests, which began in late 2024 in response to an infrastructural collapse which killed 16 people, have become a nationwide call for accountability, transparency and justice.

“What we are witnessing in Serbia is a systematic attempt to silence critical voices and dismantle the independence of academic institutions. This is not just a student protest — it is a test of human rights accountability and democratic resilience,” the experts said.  

Independent experts are appointed by the Human Rights Council in Geneva to monitor and report on special human rights matters. They are independent of the UN system and any government.  

Renewed commitment  

Since the end of June, the experts said that they have observed increasingly violent repression of protests, including unlawful arrests, prolonged detention and smear and surveillance campaigns against individuals. Some protesters have reportedly been seriously injured.  

Educational institutions in particular have come under pressure with some universities slashing faculty salaries and some high school teachers have been threatened with disciplinary action for supporting the protesters.  

“Instead of listening to young people’s voices, the Government has chosen to punish them. This approach not only violates international human rights standards, but also, by its very nature, undermines the very foundation of a democratic society,” the experts said.

The experts called on the Serbian government to renew its commitment to human rights and justice, stressing that academic freedom and access to justice are pillars of democracy.

New programme in Afghanistan seeks to rebuild farmer resilience

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), in concert with the United Kingdom, is launching a new agricultural resiliency programme in Afghanistan in the hopes of improving production and nutrition throughout the country.  

Resilient Agriculture Livelihoods (ReAL) hopes to reach over 150,000 people in all eight regions of the country by the end of next May. It will specifically target small-scale farmers, landless labourers, livestock keepers and women and girls.  

“Afghanistan’s farmers are extraordinarily resilient, but repeated climate and economic shocks are eroding this strength. This project lays down important pathways to help farmers rebuild that resilience,” said Richard Trenchard, the FAO representative in Afghanistan.

Agricultural cornerstone

The ReAL program will work to expand market access for farmers in addition to managing climate risks in a way that will promote sustainable land use and enable communities to not rely on humanitarian assistance long-term.  

Between 2022 and 2024, FAO reached over 30.3 million people in Afghanistan with emergency food relief and long-term resilience projects, work which helped to decrease the food insecurity crisis by half.  

“In a country where agriculture sustains most lives, this is a short-term investment with long-term impact,” said Mr. Trenchard.