Egypt: Egypt UNHCR Operational Update, October – December 2018
Egypt is a destination country for refugees and asylum-seekers, most of whom live in urban areas.
As of 31 December 2018, 244,910 refugees and asylumseekers of 58 different nationalities were registered with UNHCR Egypt. More than half of them were from Syria.
30,902 people have registered with UNHCR Egypt in 2018; 8,732 from October to December.
Highlights
For the sixth year in a row, UNHCR, in collaboration with Alex marathon, organised a six-kilometer marathon in the context of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence campaign in Alexandria. Around 500 runners of all ages turned up to the Friday run to support the cause and raise awareness on the issue. Egyptians together with Syrian and South Sudanese refugees ran side by side along the Alexandria corniche.
UNHCR Egypt Representative Karim Atassi attended the closing ceremony for the “Creative Refugees” initiative organised by Refuge Egypt and the Nile Valley Association. During the ceremony, Mr. Atassi presented outstanding artists with certificates of appreciation for their work. “It is our duty to highlight the talents of refugees and asylum-seekers and UNHCR is happy to cooperate with organizations in the field of art to enhance their skills," he said. The event was attended by Ambassador Dina El Sehy, Deputy Assistant Foreign Minister, and Ambassador Mohamed Abdelghaffar.
UNHCR, in collaboration with the community empowerment partner Terre des Hommes Egypt, hosted a football tournament for refugee youth from eight different nationalities alongside Egyptian youth to build upon shared interests and foster harmonious coexistence.
