Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly called for ‘a clear cooperation mechanism’ between the Egyptian government and development partners to support Egypt and share the burden of hosting 9 million migrants and refugees.
Madbouly was speaking during a meeting with Anna Bjerde, the World Bank’s Managing Director of Operations, on Sunday on the sideline of the second and final day of the Egypt-EU Investment Conference.
According to a cabinet statement following the meeting, Bjerde acknowledged the burdens endured by the Egyptian government to host non-Egyptian guests and provide for their need for health care, education, and accommodation.
Madbouly’s remarks echoed a statement released by the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on World Refugee Day, reiterating the importance of intensifying international efforts to ensure the fair implementation of the principle of equal sharing of burden and responsibility towards refugees.
Madbouly said at a World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Riyadh in April that the onus o
f spending $10 billion annually to accommodate the refugees and migrants falls on Egypt.
Egypt hosts refugees from 133 countries, with the Sudanese comprising the largest group (four million), followed by Syrians (1.5 million), Yemenis (one million), and Libyans (one million).
These four nationalities constitute 80 percent of the refugees living in Egypt, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
In a recent move, the government allowed foreigners residing in Egypt with no valid residencies to legitimize their stay, provided they have an Egyptian host and pay $1,000 in administrative fees.
Those who fail to legalize status by 30 June will lose access to services provided by state institutions to foreign residents.
Source: State Information Service Egypt