FM Abdelatty reiterates Egypt stance against displacing Palestinians in visit to Geneva - Foreign Affairs

Al-Ahram Weekly

27-01-2025

Minister of Foreign Affairs Badr Abdelatty reiterated Monday Egypt's stance rejecting any attempts aimed at displacing the Palestinians from their land during a meeting with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Director General Amy Pope.
During the meeting, which took place in Geneva, both sides agreed on cooperation to support early recovery efforts in the Gaza Strip, enabling the Palestinian people to remain on their land, according to the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Egyptian FM also underscored the critical role of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).
He expressed Egypt's appreciation for the fruitful cooperation with the IOM, which ensures comprehensive migration management and enhances sustainable development according to the principles and objectives outlined in the Global Compact for Migration.
The Egyptian FM expressed Cairo's concern regarding deteriorating political and humanitarian conditions in neighbouring countries, including conflicts and political crises.
Greater migration flows!
He also addressed the negative impacts of climate change, specifically its effects on increasing displacement and migration, which led to greater migration flows into Egypt. He noted that the state hosts more than nine million migrants and refugees.
Abdelatty highlighted Egypt's efforts to meet the newcomers' needs and provide them with essential services, highlighting the burdens on the state's public budget, given the modest amount of international support Egypt receives, which does not match the burdens it bears.
During the meeting, Abdelatty reiterated Cairo's position on the importance of intensifying international efforts to ensure the fair and sustainable implementation of the principle of burden and responsibility-sharing.
He urged the UN to provide the necessary support to help Egypt cope with the burden of hosting large numbers of migrants and support its efforts on the migration issue.
The Egyptian top diplomat further highlighted Egypt's efforts to combat irregular migration and human trafficking across borders, in line with the objectives of the Egyptian National Strategy for Combating and Preventing Illegal Migration.
Meeting with ITU's secretary-general
Abdelatty also met with Doreen Bogdan-Martin, the secretary-general of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), where he praised the union's office in Cairo for implementing joint projects.
For her part, the ITU Secretary-General commended the "Decent Life" initiative and its essential role in promoting digitization in various Egyptian villages.
She also commended Egypt's pivotal role in the ITU over its nearly 150-year membership, looking forward to continued cooperation to support Egyptian efforts to enhance the state's digital infrastructure.
More about FM's visit to Geneva
Abdelatty is visiting Geneva to head the Egyptian delegation to the UN Human Rights Council's Universal Periodic Review (UPR) on the human rights situation in Egypt, scheduled for Tuesday, 28 January.
During his visit, the Egyptian FM, the chairman of Egypt's Supreme Standing Committee for Human Rights (SSCHR), will meet with the directors of several international organizations and agencies based in Geneva.
Additionally, he will participate in a panel discussion at the "Geneva Centre for Security Policy" to discuss regional crises and Egypt's perspective on them.
According to the UN website, the UPR working group will examine Egypt's human rights record for the fourth time. Egypt's first, second, and third UPR reviews occurred in February 2010, November 2014, and November 2019.
Algeria, Bulgaria, and Kuwait are the three country representatives serving as rapporteurs for the review of Egypt.
Egypt is one of 14 states to be reviewed by the UPR working group's 48th session, which will take place from 20 to 31 January.
The UPR is a mechanism that calls for each UN member state to undergo a peer review of its human rights records every 4.5 years.
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