Promoting social cohesion between Egyptians and migrants

The Swiss Development Cooperation, with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Youth and Sport , and in partnership with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), is launching a Clickfunding campaign to support the integration of migrants in Egypt with a focus on the economic benefits of migration. The campaign has been developed by the award-wining social start-up Bassita.

Directed by renowned directorSherif El Bendary, the online campaign is starring Asser Yassin and depicts a social experiment highlighting that what unites us is stronger than our differences. Egyptians and migrants from 15 nationalities took part in the social experiment which showed what participants had in common by presenting statements and asking those who identified with them to gather on stage. Participants with completely different backgrounds found themselves in similar situations in many ways.

The campaign displays messages of acceptance and respect, and is promotingdiversity as a strength for society. The campaign is also showing, through simple statements, that migrants positively contribute to Egypt’s economic growth.

The online campaign was developed as a Clickfunding campaign, asking social media users to interact with it. Once the campaign reaches 250,000 interactions on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, the IOM will commit to implement entrepreneurialtraining sessions for Egyptians and migrants, helping to open local businesses in Egypt and further contribute to the economic growth of the country.

The campaign aims to provide a true image of the positive contribution migrants bring to any country and to highlight that all people share common characteristics and experiences. “I strongly believe that an undiversified society does not exist. Our enriched world has always been made of people with a variety of origin, age, race, gender, beliefs, thoughts and ideas. We all share something in common, which is making the beauty of humankind. At least we all share humanism and emotions for a better world. This campaign is a perfect model fostering our understanding that differences are solely visual. We, inside, share a lot in common”, said Laurent de Boeck, Chief of Mission of the International Organization for Migration to the Arab Republic of Egypt.


Background on Migration

The UN estimated that there were approximately 258 million migrants worldwide in 2017. Immigrants in general boost the economy by buying from local shops (therefore helping small businesses), using public services such as transportation, and opening their own businesses that employ natives. Most evidence shows that migration does not have a negative impact on a country’s workforce, and that “wages for women and some minority groups have historically increased when more migrant workers are present”.

A large percentage ofmigrants are highly educated and contribute significant innovation to their host countries. Indeed, one-quarter of the U.S based Novel laureates of the last 50 years were foreign born. It was estimated by the University of California, Berkely, that immigrants account for one-third of U.S. innovation. Attracted by opportunities available in the U.S., many highly educated economic migrants soughtwork there, accounting for 40% of Ph.Demployees in the fields of Science and Engineering.