National Council for Human Rights official facebook account
In a statement, the council said the meeting brought together representatives from key ministries, state bodies, and international experts to move discussions from theory to practice and develop concrete policy recommendations.
The proposals aim to shape the executive regulations of the new law in line with a human rights–based approach to managing asylum in Egypt.
Participants highlighted the need for continued institutional cooperation between the NCHR and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and for strengthening the work of the Permanent Committee for Refugee Affairs.
They called for clear mechanisms covering registration and documentation, residency, protection, and data collection, as well as the creation of grievance and legal aid units to safeguard vulnerable groups.
According to the NCHR, key recommendations include adopting a comprehensive rights-based approach in decisions related to the law, ensuring refugee protection in line with international conventions, and balancing Egypt’s international obligations with national sovereignty and constitutional provisions.
The council said the meeting’s outcomes mark an important step toward completing the law’s executive framework, with further consultations planned ahead of submitting a final recommendations document to the relevant authorities.
Representatives from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Justice, Interior, Parliamentary Affairs, and Labour attended the session, alongside officials from the State Council, the cabinet’s Information and Decision Support Centre (IDSC), UNHCR, the League of Arab States, and academic experts.
In December 2024, President Abdel-Fatah El-Sisi ratified a law regulating the status of foreign refugees in Egypt.
The law, approved by the House of Representatives a month earlier, establishes a legal framework defining the status, rights, and responsibilities of refugees in the country.
It stipulated the creation of the Permanent Committee for Refugee Affairs to manage refugee-related issues, including data collection, statistics, and asylum requests.
Egypt has taken steps to regularize the status of refugees through measures ensuring their legal recognition, protection, and access to essential services.
In recent years, Egypt has hosted more than nine million refugees fleeing conflicts and wars in Sudan, Syria, Iraq, and Yemen.
Sudanese nationals represent the largest refugee group in Egypt. Many began returning home in April, before the war resumed weeks ago.
In July, the UNHCR reported that Egypt had received more than 1.5 million Sudanese since the war began in April 2023.
Short link: