Wael Badawi, Deputy Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Migration, Refugees, and Combating Human Trafficking, announced that Egypt is home to more than 10 million migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers. He emphasized that the country treats them as guests, providing them with the same basic services as Egyptian citizens.
Badawi underscored the need for international cooperation to share the responsibility and burden of supporting this large number of refugees and migrants alongside the host community, ensuring the sustainability of essential services.
This statement was made during Egypt’s participation in the second regional review meeting on the implementation of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration (GCM), held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
As a leading nation in GCM implementation, Egypt highlighted during the meeting that orderly migration plays a key role in supporting development efforts and advancing sustainable development in countries of origin, transit, and destination.
Badawi noted Egypt’s comprehensive approach to migration governance, stressing the importance of addressing the root causes of migration and linking humanitarian and development efforts. He also emphasized the need for increased awareness campaigns to combat illegal migration.
Badawi reviewed the government’s efforts to create more legal migration opportunities through multilateral programs and bilateral labor agreements, while removing obstacles to expanding these mechanisms. He also highlighted the importance of integrating migrants into the host society to strengthen social cohesion between migrants, refugees, and local communities.