Ibrahim Khazen and Mohammad Sio
28 January 2025•Update: 28 January 2025
CAIRO
The Egyptian foreign minister has reaffirmed his country's firm rejection of any attempts to displace populations or “uproot peoples from their lands,” highlighting that Egypt currently hosts over 10 million refugees.
Badr Abdelatty's comments came on Tuesday during a session at the Universal Periodic Review of Human Rights in Geneva, where he shared Egypt's commitment to human rights and refugee protection. The remarks were published by the Foreign Ministry its official Facebook page.
Egypt has participated in every round of the review since the process was established, including in 2010, 2014, and 2019.
Abdelatty mentioned that Egypt received 372 human rights recommendations during its last review in 2019, of which 301 were accepted.
He said the government has made significant efforts over the past five years to implement these recommendations.
Regarding refugees, Abdelatty emphasized Egypt's dedication to ensuring foreign nationals residing in the country enjoy their due rights. He said Egypt has shouldered a significant responsibility on behalf of the international community by hosting a large number of refugees and irregular migrants over the years.
He said Egypt currently hosts 10.7 million foreign nationals, including refugees and irregular migrants from 62 countries.
“Egypt ensures that refugees and migrants have access to basic services, integrate into Egyptian society, and are not confined to camps or refugee centers,” he added.
“I say this frankly: Our capacity to accommodate and continue our efforts is at risk, especially given the insufficient international support relative to the pressures we are facing.”
Abdelatty reiterated Egypt's long-standing stance against any efforts to forcibly relocate or encourage the displacement of populations, whether temporarily or permanently. He said such actions “threaten stability and undermine the chances for peace and coexistence between peoples.”
Although Abdelatty did not specify which populations he referred to, his comments come after US President Donald Trump called for the relocation of Palestinians from Gaza to Egypt and Jordan. Trump cited the lack of habitable spaces in Gaza due to Israel's war since Oct. 7, 2023.
Egypt and Jordan have already rejected the idea of displacing Palestinians from their land, whether temporarily or long-term.
Israel has killed more than 47,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in Gaza, where currently a cease-fire is in place. The onslaught has caused widespread destruction and a humanitarian crisis in the enclave.
