Egypt is proud to be second homeland for 6M refugees: Foreign Ministry

CAIRO – 20 June 2022: On the occasion of the World Refugee Day, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement Monday expressing Egypt's pride in "having been – throughout its long history - a second homeland for anyone who was pushed by the circumstances to leave their motherland in search for a place to live in safely and for a better life."

The statement noted that Egypt hosts six million refugees, migrants, and asylum seekers, and that the government offers them all basic services provided to Egyptians. Those include healthcare, and education among others.

The ministry added that Egypt "has been and is calling for concerting international efforts to handle refugee issues from a comprehensive perspective that would devise sustainable solutions, and reinforce the capabilities of host states and societies to hold out. That is in fulfillment of the international shared responsibility concept aimed at dividing duties and responsibilities."

UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi commended Egypt's inclusive policy on refugees at Aswan Forum for Sustainable Peace and Development held in March 2021.

"I remember a very inspiring conversation with [Egypt’s] education minister where he told me: "how can we leave behind refugees?,"" Grandi stated.

Egyptian Deputy Assistant to Minister of Foreign Affairs for Migration, Refugee, and Combating Human Trafficking Neveen Elhusseiny stated in the same event that official asylum seekers in Egypt belong to Sudan, South Sudan, Syria, Yemen, Iraq, and Libya.

It is noteworthy to mention that no single boat carrying illegal migrants has departed from Egyptian shores since 2016, according to previous statements by President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi.