CAIRO, June 20 (MENA) - Egypt has emphasized the importance of addressing refugee issues through a comprehensive approach that balances both humanitarian and development dimensions.

Such a strategy aims to enhance the resilience of host communities while simultaneously supporting peace efforts that tackle the root causes of displacement in refugees’ countries of origin, helping to create conditions for safe, voluntary, and dignified return and preventing the recurrence of crises, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement Friday marking World Refugee Day.

Egypt reaffirmed its commitment to continued cooperation with international organizations concerned with refugee affairs, particularly the UNHCR, and its ongoing efforts at the regional and international levels to support conflict resolution, peacebuilding, and sustainable development.

The ministry said Egypt has long served as a safe haven for those forced to leave their homes under dire circumstances.

Currently, the country hosts 10 million refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants from 62 different nationalities, and continues to uphold its international obligations in this regard, it added.

Egypt ranked second globally in the number of asylum applications filed in 2024, the statement said.

The country adopts a dignity-centered policy toward refugees and asylum seekers, ensuring freedom of movement and access to basic services comparable to those provided to Egyptian citizens, thereby facilitating their integration into society, it added.

In a global context marked by escalating crises and armed conflicts, particularly in the Middle East, with refugee numbers reaching unprecedented levels worldwide, Egypt stressed that international cooperation remains the only effective and sustainable path to address refugee issues in all their dimensions.

The ministry also highlighted that with the adoption of Egypt’s first national asylum law in December 2024 as the first North African country to pass such legislation.

Cairo reiterates the need to intensify global efforts to ensure fair and sustainable implementation of burden- and responsibility-sharing principles, including by mobilizing necessary resources to support host countries in sustaining and enhancing services provided to refugees and host communities alike, the statement concluded. (MENA)

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