Regional Plan for Refugees and Resilience 3RP 2018-2019 in Response to the Syrian Crisis – Egypt – Egypt

INTRODUCTION AND CONTEXT

The Arab Republic of Egypt continues to generously host Syrian refugees, despite the absence of land border with Syria.
As of December 2017, 126,688 Syrian refugees (including 54,381 children) were registered with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Egypt. Visa requirements introduced in July 2013 for Syrians entering Egypt are maintained. Government policy allows for family reunification, and in 2017, the government extended entry visas for first-degree relatives of Syrian refugees already residing in Egypt.
Egypt expands its capabilities by any means possible to support the existing Syrian people Egyptian people in an integrated way, since there are no refugee camps in Egypt . Syrian refugees live in urban areas among Egyptian communities across the country, with the most affected areas being Greater Cairo, Alexandria and Damietta. Egypt represents a model for the dimension of social inclusion. The country currently hosts about half a million Syrians sharing public services such as access to education and health, resources and similar privileges to local citizens.
This is clearly a challenge for a country already facing a difficult economic situation.
The national poverty rate has continued to increase since 2011, reaching 27.8% and at 12.5%, the unemployment rate remains high.
The Egypt Vision 2030 launched in 2016, followed the sustainable development principle as a general framework to improve the quality of life and well-being of all Egyptians residing in Egypt (95.8 million in October 2017). It has three main dimensions focused on economic, social and environmental aspects. The government is leading national efforts to create jobs, build the infrastructure needed for investment and economic growth, and improve the efficiency of government institutions.
The government has also launched an ambitious reform agenda and has taken decisive action to restore macroeconomic stability. Despite signs of stabilization of the Egyptian pound, unprecedented levels of inflation were achieved in 2017, with the consumer price index reaching 34.86% in August. 2017 compared with 13.25% a year earlier according to the Central Bank of Egypt. These factors have contributed to a significant increase in the cost of living, affecting the lives of vulnerable and poor people, including refugees and asylum seekers. In addition, the removal of subsidies on energy sector products (gasoline, gasoline, diesel and electricity) has affected Egyptians, refugees and asylum seekers.
In 2012, a presidential decree extended access to Syrians to the public. education and health services, equating the treatment of Syrian refugees with the treatment of Egyptian citizens.
In addition, Syrians also benefit from all subsidies in the transport and food sectors, provided by the state to Egyptian citizens. Such sharing of public services and government subsidies is an additional challenge for the Egyptian economy. While state institutions play a key role in protecting Syrian refugees, their education and their health needs, they need additional support to provide broad and quality services to refugee and host communities. In addition, there is a need to increase support for the promotion of livelihoods and self-sufficiency of Syrian refugees and Egyptian communities, due to the economic and social conditions. exhaustion of savings
. The government allows refugees and asylum-seekers registered with UNHCR to regularize their residence and grant six-month renewable residence permits. Although government policies do not allow for forced return to Syria, UNHCR is continuing its dialogue with the Egyptian government regarding Syrians seeking to regularize their residency.
Some Challenges Remain for Syrian Refugees Men, Women, Boys and Girls, Including Increasing Costs Challenges also include lengthy administrative residency procedures and limitations on family reunification visas.
The Egyptian government continues its plea to allow all refugees to obtain a residence permit for one year in their territory. documentation (instead of the current six months) and the adoption of a flexible visa policy for family reunification purposes. The Egyptian Government has expressed positive reactions in this regard. The implementation modalities are the subject of a permanent dialogue between the Egyptian government and UNHCR.
In addition to hosting Syrian refugees, Egypt also hosts 92,524 asylum seekers and refugees from sub-Saharan Africa, Iraq and Yemen. These populations currently account for 42.2% of the total number of asylum seekers and refugees registered with UNHCR (219,212) in Egypt, including 35,737 Sudanese, 14,452 Ethiopians, 12,693 Eritreans, 10,077 South Sudanese. 6,663 Iraqis, 6,647 Somalis and 4,585 Yemenis; figures that should increase further. In January 2017, the Government of Egypt granted access to public health services (primary and secondary) to refugees and asylum-seekers of all nationalities, on an equal footing with Egyptian nationals. The partners are working with the government to further improve access to education services for refugees and asylum seekers of other nationalities, as has already been done successfully for refugees. Syrian. The Government of Egypt and the agencies are committed to ensuring equitable access to protection, services and humanitarian badistance for Africans, Iraqis and Yemenis registered with UNHCR.