Stronger Multilateralism, Global Cooperation Can Address Rising Security Challenges, Says Tayebwa

What the report says

Deputy Speaker of Parliament Thomas Tayebwa has urged stronger multilateral cooperation and collective action to respond to rising global security threats. Speaking in Brussels, Belgium, while chairing a joint parliamentary assembly of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) and the European Union, he said conflicts, organised crime and geopolitical tensions are increasingly affecting development and international stability.

Tayebwa, who also leads the OACPS Parliamentary Assembly and co-chairs the OACPS-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly, argued that security and development are closely linked. He said armed conflict can disrupt public services, damage livelihoods and redirect government spending away from long-term priorities. He also called for respect for sovereignty, international law and civilian protection, and urged lawmakers to support mediation and hold governments accountable for peace commitments.

He pointed to Uganda’s refugee policy as an example of solidarity, saying the country hosts more than two million refugees from neighbouring countries including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, Burundi and South Sudan. Tayebwa said Uganda receives only a fraction of the funding needed to support them, which increases pressure on national resources. The remarks come amid wider debate over the role of multilateral institutions in managing conflict, migration and development challenges.

Other speakers at the meeting also called for reforms in global financial governance, more development financing and stronger support for the United Nations as a key international institution.