Ministry of Foreign Affairs and UN launch Joint Platform for Migrants and Refugees in Egypt

Cairo - The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Arab Republic of Egypt and the United Nations in Egypt launched today the Joint Platform for Migrants and Refugees during a high-level event on Thursday, 4 November at the headquarters of the Ministry.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs H.E. Sameh Shoukry welcomed the new initiative at the event attended by senior Government and UN representatives, the diplomatic community and civil society organizations.

In his speech, Minister Shoukry stated that “Considering its status as a country of origin, transit, and destination, Egypt adopted a comprehensive approach to deal with different flows of migration, while engaging internationally on discussions related to finding ways of promoting a more positive discourse on migrants. It has always been our belief that good migration governance represents a ‘triple win’ for countries of origin, destination, and migrants".

He added that “for decades, Egypt has hosted those in need of protection and adopted an approach based on the respect of human rights of migrants and refugees, and which allows for their integration in the Egyptian society while eliminating all forms of discrimination against them, and ensuring that ‘no one is left behind’ in sharing the benefits of the socio- economic development.”

The Joint Platform is an initiative of the Government of Egypt and United Nations partners in Egypt that brings together Government, UN, development partners, donors and other stakeholders. It seeks to enhance coordination, ensure better delivery and mobilize resources to realize long term, sustainable development gains for migrants, refugees, asylum seekers and their host communities, enhancing social inclusion and cohesion.

The United Nations Resident Coordinator to Egypt, Ms. Elena Panova remarked: “Egypt has generously been providing access for the majority of migrants, refugees and asylum seekers to basic services, such as health and education, and taking additional targeted measures for these groups in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. We have a humanitarian and protection imperative, and a real development opportunity to enhance these efforts and make a difference in the lives of these groups that are at risk of being left behind, while enhancing the resilience of their host communities in Egypt. The UN in Egypt looks forward to working with the Government and other partners to deliver on this agenda.”

The platform will provide an opportunity to analyze the needs of refugees, migrants and their host communities, looking at the policy context, the operational and legal framework and mobilize more resources with the objective of ensuring the sustainability and long-term impact of humanitarian efforts.  Supporting the Egyptian Government’s efforts to enhance access to quality health and education services is a priority area for the platform, as it constitutes a cornerstone for better future prospects for migrants and refugees.