The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the UN held the second meeting of the Joint Platform for Migrants and Refugees in Egypt on Wednesday.
The meeting, which was hosted by the ministry, focused on enhancing education and health services for migrants and refugees as well as means of implementation.
On this occasion, the platform launched a joint report titled ‘Common Situational Analysis on Education and Health Services for Migrants and Refugees in Egypt.’
Deputy Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs Nevine Al-Husseiny stressed the importance of the platform as a pioneer coordinating mechanism that includes the Egyptian government, the UN, and international partners with the aim of enhancing public services provided to migrants and refugees in Egypt — particularly in health and education — increasing the sustainability of interventions and resilience, as well as supporting cohesion within host communities.
El-Husseiny also confirmed that the platform represents a practical operationalisation of the principle of burden-sharing with host countries as well as the humanitarian-developmental nexus given the protracted nature of crises in the countries of origin of refugees and migrants in Egypt.
For her part, UN Resident Coordinator to Egypt Elena Panova welcomed the second meeting of the Joint Platform, saying: “This analytic study is the first concrete result of our strong partnership with the government through the Joint Platform for Migrants and Refugees in Egypt. It provides an excellent basis for joint action to support and protect the rights of all migrants and refugees in Egypt and support the government’s efforts to include refugees and migrants in essential public services, particularly education and health.”
The analysis provides an overview of the entitlements of migrants and refugees to education and health services according to Egyptian legal provisions in primary and university education, and primary, curative, and preventive health care facilities.
The study confirms that Egypt has generously made provisions for migrants and refugees to benefit from these services, often on par with Egyptians based on their nationality. Concurrently, the government makes a significant investment by providing these services to migrants and refugees.
The study also shows that access is often determined by the level of implementation of the legal provisions, while the legal status and the availability of relevant documentation are key factors when access to basic services is constrained.
Furthermore, it shows that nearly two-thirds of migrants indicated that limited financial resources are the main reason for a lack of access to primary education. Similarly, 40% indicated high fees as a reason for lack of access to health services.
This was the second meeting of the Joint Platform on Migrants and Refugees in Egypt, which was launched on 4 November 2021 by the government and the UN.
The platform brings together the government, the UN, development partners, donors, and other stakeholders.
It also seeks to enhance coordination, ensure better delivery, and mobilise resources to realise long-term, sustainable development gains for migrants, refugees, asylum seekers, and their host communities, thereby enhancing social inclusion and cohesion.
