In collaboration with the United Nations and the European Union, Egypt launched on 30 September a new multiple sector initiative to better manage the status of migrants and refugees in the country. The initiative is operating under the framework of the first Joint Platform for Migrants and Refugees (JPMR). 

According to Hanan Hamdan, UNHCR Representative to Egypt and the Arab League, the JPMR represents a collective commitment to addressing the needs of vulnerable migrants, refugees, and their host communities, particularly in the face of growing challenges due to ongoing regional conflicts, such as in Sudan. 

Hamdan stated that Egypt is the second largest recipient of refugees seeking safety from that conflict, and remains at the centre of new and traditional migratory flows. From Sudan alone, Egypt received 1.2 million new arrivals in 18 months. And this comes on the heels of 160,000 more already seeking shelter in Egypt from the war in Syria.   

“The world is witnessing unprecedented levels of violence, with levels of forced displacement not seen since World War II,” Hamdan said. “In Sudan alone, more than 9.3 million people have been uprooted from their lives internally and within the region.” 

UNHCR recently estimated that, by the end of last year, for the first time in recorded history, the number of people forcibly displaced was over 117.3 million, with over 31.6 million refugees under UNHCR’s mandate and another six million Palestinian refugees.

According to Hamdan, Egypt alone cannot sustain the cost and take full responsibility in meeting the high needs and demand for services of refugees. “The JPMR serves as a vehicle for a collective response, allowing us to integrate efforts across multiple sectors to support these, and future, communities more effectively,” she said. 

The idea behind the JPMR in Egypt was put together in November 2021 by the Egyptian government and UN partners, aiming to enhance coordination, ensure better delivery of services, and mobilise resources to support migrants, refugees and their host communities in Egypt. 

“The JPMR is more than just a response to a crisis; it is a long-term investment in the future of Egypt and the region. By working together, government, international organisations and civil society, we can build a more inclusive and resilient society, one that leaves no one behind,” Hamdan said. 

During the event held  to launch the JPMR operation, Assistant Foreign Minister for Multilateral Affairs and International Security Amr Aljowaily highlighted Egypt’s “long-standing role in hosting large numbers” of migrants, refugees and asylum seekers. “Egypt adopts a comprehensive approach that allows for the integration of migrants and refugees into Egyptian society through a no-camp policy, and providing basic services,” he stated. 

According to Aljowaily, JPMR is a forward-looking project that deals with migration and refugee issues through an all-encompassing spectrum particularly on economic and social development. “We have high expectations that the programme, through the valuable contribution of UN agencies and international partners, primarily the EU, will enhance coordination and mobilise funding to support national systems that provide basic services to migrants, refugees and the host community, focusing on education and health, thus integrating the humanitarian and development dimensions,” Aljowaily added.

Regarding Egypt’s position in current regional conflicts, UN Resident Coordinator in Egypt Elena Panova emphasised the vital importance of sharing responsibility in upholding the rights of migrants and refugees. “As one of the primary host countries in the region, Egypt stands at a crossroads in its response, facing unprecedented challenges brought on by global displacement. 

“The responsibility of caring for and safeguarding people on the move cannot rest solely on the shoulders of Egypt. It demands a collective response from the international community and national partner as the number of migrants and refugees is increasing,” Panova said. 

The EU supported a €12.2 million grant in a spirit of solidarity and responsibility sharing. The programme is acknowledging these efforts and will partner with the government to address basic health and education needs and enhance resilience and protection for the less advantaged migrants, refugees and asylum seekers living in Egypt, as well as their host communities, according to Christian Berger, head of the European Union delegation to Egypt. 

Berger said that the EU and Egypt will continue to cooperate to support Egypt’s efforts in hosting refugees and both sides are committed to the protection of the rights of migrants and refugees under the Strategic Partnership between Egypt and the EU that was adopted in March 2024. 

But as long as the situation in the Middle East and the region is deteriorating from bad to worse, Berger told Al-Ahram Weekly that supporting JPMR is one of the measures the EU can take to support people who are fleeing or escaping from a critical situation.

“I mean, people don’t migrate just because they like to. People migrate because they are forced to, because of a war, a conflict, a natural catastrophe, an economic crisis, whatever it is. So, the important message here is we can only do this together,” Berger stated. 

He added that the EU “obviously wants to help the government of Egypt and the population that has received many migrants and is housing them, accommodating them. We are bringing here together the UN family who are the ones dealing with many of these issues. The member states of the European Union and the European Union itself will come together to assist Egypt in dealing with this challenging situation,” he said. 

Professor of practice and director of the Centre for Migration and Refugee Studies at the American University in Cairo Ibrahim Awad said that “as long as the programme is implemented then refugees joining the labour market [given that they will have] access to education and health services, will lead to the increase in production of services in terms of health, education, and housing.”

According to Hossam Abdel-Ghaffar, representative of the Ministry of Health and Population, Egyptian authorities have integrated segments of refugees and migrants under the umbrella of the national healthcare system. However, he said, this came with added pressure and extra cost to the health system.

Randa Salah, director-general of the General Directorate for Central Services at the Egyptian Ministry of Education and Technical Education, said that the education sector runs 160 schools to raise the level of training, school plans, schedules, teachers, and conditions for refugees and migrants to join the school. This, Salah explained, should allow 120,000 pupils to have easy access to education.

Nima Abid, the WHO representative in Egypt, told the Weekly, “the most difficult part in this programme is reaching the most needed migrants and refugees especially those whose official papers are not completed which resulted in difficult confinement.”

According to Abid, the programme faces two challenges: the fund’s sustainability and accurate mapping of refugees and migrants.

But Jeremy Hopkins, UNICEF representative in Egypt, told the Weekly that the programme is sustainable because it is investing in the national education and health systems. ”The funds we provide [go to the Egyptian government] and we are really pleased that the government welcomed the integration of migrants and refugees,” Hopkins said.  

Meanwhile, Berger, head of the EU delegation to Egypt,  said “there’s a very high number of migrants already in this country and as the number of conflicts is not going down, it is actually increasing so the risk is that more are coming. So, we need to prepare for that so that this platform, where we all come together and chip in both in terms of finances and policymaking and ideas, will, I think, at least help to address the situation as much as possible,” Berger told the Weekly. 

* A version of this article appears in print in the 17 October, 2024 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly