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Egypt + 8 more

Egypt Factsheet, June 2018

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Egypt remains a destination and transit country for refugees and asylumseekers, most of whom live in urban areas.

Currently, 228,941 refugees and asylum-seekers of 58 different nationalities are registered with UNHCR Egypt. More than half of them are from Syria.

UNHCR registers and documents refugees and asylum-seekers and facilitates their access to basic services, such as health and education.

Working with Partners

  • UNHCR works closely with the Government of Egypt, UN and NGO partners to provide protection and assistance to asylum-seekers and refugees.

  • The Inter-Agency Working Group (IAWG), chaired by UNHCR, is the main interagency coordination mechanism, overseeing six sectorial working groups gathering representatives from UN agencies and international and national NGOs:

  • Protection, including sub-working groups on Child Protection and Response to Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV),

  • Health,

  • Education,

  • Basic Needs and Cash-Based Interventions,

  • Livelihoods, and

  • Communication with Communities (CWC).

Main Activities

Protection

  • All refugees and asylum-seekers registered with UNHCR Egypt are documented.
    As an anti-fraud mechanism, the registration process includes the collection of biometric information, iris scanning and finger printing. After registration, refugees and asylum-seekers must apply for residency to legalize their stay in Egypt, as per the Government of Egypt’s regulations.

  • UNHCR conducts Refugee Status Determination (RSD) for all nationalities but for Syrians. Syrian nationals are considered refugees and only undergo RSD when they are being considered for resettlement, as per a regional approach, and in line with an informal agreement between UNHCR and the Government of Egypt.

  • UNHCR and partners provide special assistance and psychosocial support to children and risk, survivors of SGBV and to those who have experienced or witnessed conflict, violence or trauma.

  • Currently, 3,786 unaccompanied and separated children (UASC) are registered with UNHCR in Egypt. UNHCR conducts Best Interest Procedures and prioritizes the protection of UASC and other children at risk across all programs through prevention and response activities and specialized services, including quality case management, the strengthening of national child protection systems and capacity building.

  • Refugees and asylum-seekers have access to legal remedies and representation through lawyers of partner NGOs. Refugees and asylum-seekers arrested for irregular departure by sea are provided with legal and humanitarian assistance and UNHCR intervenes on their behalf with local authorities to ensure that their claims for international protection are assessed.

  • To protect refugees and prevent them from resorting to negative coping mechanisms, monthly unconditional cash grants are provided to an average of 15,500 extremely vulnerable refugee households.