Attachments
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS – HIGHLIGHTS
• On 6 February, the UNHCR Representative to Egypt and the League of Arab States, Hanan Hamdan, met with Ambassador Seif Kandil, the newly appointed Director General of the Cairo International Center for Peace (CCCPA). They discussed strategic collaboration in preparation for the upcoming Fifth Edition of the Aswan Forum for Sustainable Peace and Development, scheduled for the last two weeks of October this year. Discussions also covered expanding support for the Arab Women Mediator Network of the League of Arab States (LAS) and the implementation of Egypt’s pledges to the Global Refugee Forum in 2023.
• After completing a specialized training course in Egypt, two refugees from Sudan and South Sudan travelled to Italy on 16 January to work in the shipbuilding sector with support from UNHCR. They were the first refugees welcomed by Italy under the innovative “Labor Corridors for Refugees” programme, which aims to match refugees' skills and potential with the specific labour needs of Italian companies.
• In January 2025, UNHCR continued to observe an increasing trend of unaccompanied children fleeing Sudan to join their siblings or other family members in Egypt. Children who approached the UNHCR Reception Centre in Greater Cairo stated that their parents sent them alone to Egypt to join their siblings or other relatives already established in Egypt, either due to fear of the ongoing conflict in Sudan or to pursue their education. In total, UNHCR recorded a 10% increase in unaccompanied and separated children in January, as compared to December 2024. Additionally, Sudanese children engaged in labour in Egypt continue to be reported to UNHCR, with some living at their place of work, often in unsafe or unsanitary conditions.