Facts and Figures

IOM Member State since 1997 Capital: Cairo Population (2011): 82.5 million Area: 1 million sq km Major Languages: Arabic Currency: Egyptian Pound (EGP) GDP per Capita PPP (2010): USD 6,180 HDI Rank (2011): 113 of 187 Remittances (2011 estimate): USD 8,047 million Net Migration Rate (2010-2015): -0.9 migrants /1,000 population Immigrants (2010): 0.3% Women as a Percentage of Immigrants (2010): 46.6% Population under 15 (2011): 31.3% Adult HIV Prevalence (2009): <0.1%

Additional Resources International Migration Law Database National Instruments: Egypt Source and Definitions

Latest News

• Egyptian Tourism School Aims to Stem Irregular Migration
• EU and IOM Expand Cooperation to Stabilize At-Risk Communities and Enhance Migration Management to Support Transitions in Egypt, Tunisia and Libya
• IOM Tackles the Spread of Scabies among Migrants and Refugees at Salloum Border Crossing
• IOM Supports Efforts to Investigate and Prosecute Trafficking Offences in Egypt
• Survey Finds Egyptian Youth still plan to migrate but remain relatively optimistic about the future of their country

Overview

Migration policy in Egypt is centered on encouraging legal emigration to relieve unemployment and demographic trends, seeking to fill labour market gaps abroad for Egyptian labourers, discouraging irregular migration while maximizing economic benefits of regular migration, supporting growth of migrants' remittances, and ensuring the welfare of Egyptian migrants abroad.

IOM's strategy in Egypt is to continue supporting Egypt's efforts for achieving successful migration management, including enhanced benefits of an effective communication and coordination with Egyptians abroad and the expansion of international labour markets for Egyptian workers.

Movement, Emergency and Post-Crisis Migration Management

IOM Cairo has been working in the field of refugee resettlement from Egypt to various destinations including the United States, Canada, Australia and Europe. Moreover, through a number of past and ongoing initiatives, IOM has been involved in assessing the needs of Iraqis and other refugee/migrant communities and offering appropriate assistance. In 2009, IOM Cairo will also start providing assistance to Sudanese refugees willing to return to Sudan, in cooperation with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Cairo and IOM Sudan.

Projects

Resettlement Assistance
• Resettlement from the Middle East to the United States
• Refugees from the Middle East and Africa
• Overseas Processing Entity (OPE) processing in Africa covering Egypt and designated countries in North Africa, the Middle East, the Gulf States)
• Canadian Warrants Programme
  Repatriation Assistance
• Transportation and Logistics Assistance for the Return of Sudanese Refugees from Egypt

Migration Health

IOM Cairo's involvement in the area of migration health has been growing rapidly. In 2008, IOM Cairo has been implementing a one-year project on Avian Influenza and Pandemic Preparedness for Sudanese migrants in Cairo.

In 2009, IOM will also work in partnership with the Egyptian Ministry of Health and Population, UNHCR, and relevant government and non-government healthcare providers to enhance access to primary healthcare for Iraqi nationals temporarily residing in Egypt. In 2009, IOM Cairo will also participate in a global study carried out by IOM on HIV vulnerabilities amongst undocumented migrants in humanitarian emergencies. In addition, IOM will also look at HIV/AIDS prevention with mobile populations, including internal migrants working in tourist areas in Egypt.

Within the scope of on-going trafficking programmes, IOM is engaged in providing direct assistance (including health and psychosocial care) to victims of human trafficking. The newly launched Arabic version of IOM's Handbook for Direct Assistance to Victims of Trafficking is designed to foster understanding about the protection and health needs of victims of trafficking. Trafficked persons face numerous health risks, exacerbated by prolonged exposure to traumatic events and abuse, marginalization and limited access to health and social services, posing a serious and urgent challenge to policy-makers.

Projects

• Pandemic Preparedness for Migrants and Host Communities in Egypt
• Enhancing Health Knowledge and Access to Primary Healthcare Services for Iraqi Nationals Temporarily Residing in Egypt
• HIV Vulnerabilities amongst Undocumented Migrants in Humanitarian Emergencies

Migration and Development

As stakeholders, particularly Governments, grow more aware of the developmental potential of migration, activities in the field of migration and development have gathered significant momentum. IOM has made significant strides in the field of migration and development in the Middle East and has funded research and implemented projects to strengthen bonds between the Egyptian diaspora and their homeland. IOM has also developed and implemented projects to facilitate regular migration to meet the demands of the labour market.

Project

• Enhancing Existing Bonds between the Egyptian Diaspora and their Homeland

IOM Cairo has adopted IOM's comprehensive approach to combating trafficking in persons based on three principles: respect for human rights; the physical, mental and social well-being of the individuals and their families; and sustainability through institutional capacity building for governments and civil society.

IOM's counter-trafficking initiatives throughout the region have been varied and complementary. Over the course of 2008, IOM MRF Cairo has continued to support IOM Field Offices to design and implement significant activities in the field of counter-trafficking across its geographic mandate, which includes Egypt, the Mashreq region (Lebanon, Syria and Jordan), the Gulf Cooperation Council (Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates), Iraq and Yemen. IOM has made a number of recent and significant breakthroughs as certain countries, traditionally reluctant to acknowledge incidents of human trafficking in the region, indicate increased commitment to recognize and combat the crime.

Regulating Migration

IOM Cairo has adopted IOM's comprehensive approach to combating trafficking in persons based on three principles: respect for human rights; the physical, mental and social well-being of the individuals and their families; and sustainability through institutional capacity building for governments and civil society.

IOM's counter-trafficking initiatives throughout the region have been varied and complementary. Over the course of 2008, IOM MRF Cairo has continued to support IOM Field Offices to design and implement significant activities in the field of counter-trafficking across its geographic mandate, which includes Egypt, the Mashreq region (Lebanon, Syria and Jordan), the Gulf Cooperation Council (Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates), Iraq and Yemen. IOM has made a number of recent and significant breakthroughs as certain countries, traditionally reluctant to acknowledge incidents of human trafficking in the region, indicate increased commitment to recognize and combat the crime.

Projects

Technical Cooperation on Migration Management and Capacity-Building
• Sharing Learning for a Better Migrating Life (AENEAS)
• Cooperation between IOM and selected countries of the Arab Labour Organization on human and labour mobility management in the Middle East

Counter-Trafficking

• Building Governmental and Non-governmental Capacity in Managing Iraqi Migration Flows and Safeguarding Migrants' Rights in Countries Affected by the Ongoing Displacement Crisis
• Regional Experts Meeting on Rights-based Assistance to Victims of Trafficking
• Prevention, Protection and Assistance to Iraqi Victims of Trafficking and Vulnerable Migrants in the Middle East – Phase II

Facilitating Migration

IOM Cairo continues to implement activities to assist the Government and other key stakeholders to facilitate regular migration, to the mutual benefit of Egypt and countries of destination as well as individual migrants. In particular, over the course of 2008, IOM Cairo implemented a number of projects to foster dialogue between sending, transit and receiving countries on the opportunities associated with regular migration and contractual labour systems.

Projects

• Integrated Migration Information System II
• Promoting Dialogue and Information Sharing on Labour Migration between Indonesia and Malaysia, Singapore and the Middle East

• Pre-Departure Cultural Orientation for US-Bound Refugees Hosted in Egypt, and Designated countries in North Africa, the Middle East and the Gulf States
• Canadian Orientation Abroad
• Australian Cultural Orientation

Migration Policy and Research

IOM Cairo has been very active in promoting, sponsoring and carrying out research on upcoming trends and challenges pertaining to human mobility in Egypt. IOM Cairo's research activities provide a valuable foundation for informed, targeted IOM interventions and provide support to policy makers and other stakeholders.

Projects

• Profiling Exercise of Sudanese Migrants with Special Reference to Assisted Voluntary Return
• IOM/League of Arab States Arab Regional Experts Group Meeting on International Migration
• Study on Dynamics of the Egyptian Diaspora: Strengthening Development Linkages
• Support to the Egyptian Research and Criminology Centre to Prepare a Study on Human Trafficking in Egypt
• Cooperation between IOM and Selected Countries of the Arab Labor Organization on Human and Labour Mobility Management in the Middle East
• A Study on the Dynamics of the Egyptian Diaspora: Strengthening Development Linkages

Last updated:
Main text: February 2009
Facts and figures: May 2012