CAIRO – 6 November 2023: Since 2016, Egypt has taken it upon itself to crack down on illegal immigration boats leaving its own shores toward Europe amid regional turbulence that fuels this phenomenon.
The European Union and many European countries have expressed concerns over a potential sudden influx of migrants amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, putting further pressure on Europe.
"There is always the risk, if instability in the Middle East spreads, and especially if it engulfs neighbouring countries like Egypt, which has a very big population, things can become really dangerous," Greece's Migration Minister Dimitris Kairidis told Reuters in an interview in October.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi has said that Egypt will not be a transit point for illegal migrants seeking to travel to Europe.
He added in 2021 that Egypt, which hosts millions of refugees from Africa and a number of turbulent countries, has never allowed them to leave to Europe illegally based on an ethical and humanitarian standpoint.
Egypt has leveled up its anti-immigration efforts over the past decade, including by launching awareness campaigns that seek to warn the youth against dangers of such step. The “lifeboats Initiative” is part of these efforts.
Launched in 2019 at the end of the third edition of the World Youth Forum (WYF), the Lifeboats Initiative, not only seeks to raise awareness among youth, but also helps them find alternatives and proper job opportunities inside Egypt and abroad.
The Egyptian Ministry of Emigration has implemented the initiative in 72 villages representing 14 governorates, which are known to have the largest numbers of youth seeking migration illegally.
As part of the initiative, 68 training programs were implemented to prepare 3,334 trainers to spread awareness among villagers. Meanwhile, 327 training programs were implemented to raise awareness of students in technical education schools, youth, families, and minor children, benefiting a total of 8,377 people.
Also, 237 training programs were implemented to train youth on various professions and job and entrepreneurship opportunities with the participation of 5,829 people.
In 2023, the Egyptian-German Center for Jobs, Migration and Reintegration was established as the cornerstone of cooperation between the Egyptian Emigration Ministry and the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ).
The center has provided services, including providing job opportunities for skilled Egyptian workers in Europe, to a total of 29,822 people.
The center also provides guidance to Egyptian youth on finding the proper job opportunities in the country and works on integrating the workers returning from abroad into the Egyptian society economically and socially.
The center contributes to reducing the causes of irregular migration by raising awareness of its dangers as well as giving information about the job opportunities outside Egypt.
Removing burden from Europe
During the Visegrad Group (V4) summit in Budapest, Hungary, Sisi emphasized that Egypt will not permit the refugees to continue their journeys to European countries, aiming to prevent both potential problems for Europe and the migrants' perilous sea voyages into the unknown.
El-Sisi made it clear that Egypt does not operate refugee camps for migrants from abroad. Instead, the country adopts a human rights-based approach, treating them as guests on its land. Moreover, Egypt allows them to access its educational institutions, universities, and even includes them in its COVID-19 vaccination campaign.
Sisi called for adopting a fresh approach to address the issue of illegal immigration, emphasizing that illegal immigration generally reflects a human rights concern.
Sisi urged the European countries to actively contribute and participate in improving the political, economic, and cultural conditions of countries in the region, saying that this would lead to a new understanding of human rights.
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