Egypt’s FM Shoukry meets Under-Secretary-General of UN for Humanitarian Affairs

CAIRO – 25 May 2023: Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths on Thursday asserted the common desire to enhance bilateral cooperation with a view to accelerating the process of providing humanitarian assistance and ensuring its delivery to crisis-hit areas in the region.

Shoukry praised the role played by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) to strengthen emergency humanitarian response in crisis-ridden areas, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid said.

The foreign minister also affirmed Egypt's continued support for OCHA's efforts, especially amid the rise in the number of regional and international crises.

This support was appreciated by Griffiths, who stressed that Egypt represents an important hub for supporting United Nations humanitarian efforts in many crisis-stricken areas in the Middle East and Africa, Shoukry said.

A large part of the meeting focused on developments related to the Sudanese crisis and its repercussions on the humanitarian situation in the country and neighboring countries, the spokesman said.

In this regard, Griffiths lauded Egypt’s efforts and tireless endeavors to hammer out a solution to the crisis, provide emergency humanitarian and medical support to the Sudanese people, and receive some 120,000 displaced Sudanese since the beginning of the crisis.

Shoukry expressed Egypt’s willingness to cooperate with OCHA to facilitate the transfer of humanitarian aid to Sudan.

The meeting also touched on the latest developments of the Syrian crisis, the spokesman noted.