The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Egypt has registered more than one million refugees since 2023, Hanan Hamdan, UNHCR representative to Egypt and the Arab League said, adding that overall Sudanese arrivals since April 2023 had reached 1.5 million.
Speaking at a meeting of the Joint Platform for Migrants and Refugees (JPMR) held last week in Cairo, Hamdan said that these figures listed Egypt as a country of transit and destination for migrants and refugees, resulting in certain challenges for refugees and for Egypt as well.
The meeting brought together representatives of the government, UN agencies, the diplomatic corps, development partners, and NGOs to take stock of progress on the JPMR, review the evolving needs of migrants, refugees, and host communities, and chart the way forward.
According to Elena Panova, UN resident coordinator, the aim of the platform is to serve the rights of all persons on the move based on their vulnerability and in line with the status conferred on some of them by international conventions and with the support of the host country.
Panova said the meeting had taken place against a global backdrop where displacement and migration are among the defining challenges of our time. Conflict, climate change, and deepening inequalities are driving unprecedented human mobility, reshaping societies, and testing systems across the world, she said.
Egypt is one of the countries that provides a public good to the international community, she added. “We commend Egypt for welcoming unprecedented numbers of migrants and refugees from across the region. This generosity is not only a lifeline within Egypt’s borders but also a vital contribution to regional stability,” she said.
The responsibility for caring for and safeguarding people on the move cannot rest solely on the shoulders of Egypt, however, as “it demands a collective response from the international community,” Panova noted.
She added that almost 74 per cent of all registered refugees in Egypt are women and children, and there are many mothers seeking safety, children needing classrooms, and families requiring care and dignity.
“These challenges cut across every sector and cannot be solved in isolation. From education to health to protection, they demand holistic solutions that put vulnerable migrants, women, and children at the heart of our response,” she stressed.
The Joint UN Programme (JUNP) on refugees was launched in September 2024 focusing on education, health, and protection. Its objectives are to enhance the resilience, protection, and dignity of vulnerable migrants, host communities, and refugees and asylum-seekers in Egypt, in addition to enhancing support for Egypt’s leadership role and fostering regional stability.
The JUNP is funded by 12.2 million euros from the European Union.
According to Panova, thousands of children from migrant, refugee, and host communities are now in classrooms, learning and growing together. Clinics serve both migrants and host communities. Protection services and livelihood opportunities reach those most at risk.
“This first year of the implementation of this first-ever Joint UN Programme has been a success on more than one front to the benefit of refugees, migrants, and host communities,” said Wael Badawi, assistant minister of foreign affairs for migration and refugee affairs and combating human trafficking, at the opening of the JPMR meeting.
He stressed that this shows how partners can work together through a holistic approach, sharing burdens and responsibilities in solidarity for a human cause. “The government of Egypt calls upon other partners to join in supporting this Joint Programme and promoting its sustainability,” Badawi said.
According to Hamdan, an external evaluation of the project confirms that significant progress has been seen after just one year of implementation.
In the past year the Joint Programme has delivered tangible results: more than 102,800 students in 200 schools are benefiting from improved learning environments; 22 primary health units and 12 hospitals have been strengthened to serve both migrants and host communities; protection services have reached 45,000 vulnerable individuals; and joint efforts have been deployed to promote the integration of refugees into Egypt’s Universal Health Insurance System (UHIS).
Angelina Eichhorst, head of the EU Delegation to Egypt, stressed the EU’s strong commitment to the Programme, saying that it will continue to support the government to help people in need.
These activities are appreciated by the Egyptian government, although more support is still needed and required to sustain the services provided to the migrants, refugees and the host community, Karim Awad, first secretary at the migration, refugees and combating human trafficking department at the Foreign Ministry told Al-Ahram Weekly.
According to Hamdan, the future of JUNP includes improving monitoring and evaluation and strengthening strategic communication to enhance policy dialogue with the government as well as informing national reform efforts and the implementation of the asylum law.
She said it was also important to prioritise underserved areas and to mobilise more resources and add new partners.
“Without sustained funding the hard-won gains in resilience and social cohesion are at risk of being reversed,” Hamdan concluded.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 11 September, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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