Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Co-operation and Egyptians Abroad, Badr Abdel-Aati, inaugurated on Wednesday a ministerial meeting in Cairo bringing together leading African countries implementing the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration.
The meeting is part of preparations for the second Global Compact Review Forum scheduled to be held in New York next month.
Amy Pope, Director General of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), alongside foreign ministers and representatives from 16 African countries, as well as delegates from the League of Arab States and the African Union, were present in the meeting.
In his opening remarks, Minister Abdel-Aati underscored the importance of the meeting in strengthening African coordination on migration, noting that accelerating economic, political and environmental changes have elevated migration to the forefront of global priorities.
He highlighted the role of the Global Compact, adopted in 2018, as a comprehensive framework that promotes international co-operation while safeguarding national sovereignty and protecting migrants’ rights.
Minister Abdel-Aati affirmed that, under the directives of President Abdel Fattah El Sisi, Egypt has developed a comprehensive national approach to migration management, linking migration policies with development goals and enhancing efforts to combat transnational criminal networks.
He outlined Egypt’s focus on promoting safe and regular migration pathways, particularly through expanding legal labour mobility, reducing irregular migration, and addressing root causes such as poverty, unemployment, climate change and conflicts, alongside advancing education and vocational training.
He noted that Egypt hosts over 10 million refugees and migrants integrated within society and benefiting from basic services without discrimination, despite limited international support.
He further stressed the importance of burden-sharing, responsibility-sharing and international solidarity, and highlighted Egypt’s role in the Khartoum Process, including hosting the 2025 Ministerial Conference and the adoption of the Cairo Joint Declaration and Long-Term Action Plan.
IOM Director- General Pope commended Egypt’s leadership and reaffirmed the importance of Africa’s role in shaping global migration governance.
The participating delegations presented their national perspectives on migration challenges, said the Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ambassador Tamim Khallf in a statement.
