In 2020, the Government of Egypt, represented by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), remained UNHCR’s main counterpart for policy and coordination. Other key national partners included the MoE and the MoHP, as well as the Ministry of Interior (Immigration Department and National Security).
During the exceptional situation of the COVID-19 pandemic, UNHCR actively engaged with the MoHP in capacity-building and formulating the national communication strategy to raise awareness among refugees and host communities and to address COVID-19 related questions.
The Inter-Agency Working Group (IAWG), chaired by UNHCR, remained the highest-level coordination body for the refugee response in Egypt, where representatives from UN agencies, international and national organizations, and donor countries discussed policy updates. Since the emergence of the pandemic, UNHCR ensured flow of information among stakeholders while the IAWG meeting continued to convene virtually every month.
In 2020, the technical sectoral working groups of protection, health, education, livelihoods, cash and basic needs adjusted their convening modality to virtual meetings. To coordinate COVID-19-related assistance such as emergency cash grants and distribution of medical items, UNHCR launched an inter-agency assistance mapping to record assistance extended to refugees and asylum-seekers across all sectors without duplication of efforts. Monthly meetings of the Inter-Sector Working Group (ISWG) also continued to be chaired by UNHCR and convened virtually. The ISWG brought together different sectoral working groups to ensure coherence and information sharing at a technical level. Within the ISWG, UNHCR led a needs assessment on the impact of COVID-19 on lives of refugees and asylum-seekers. Results of this survey informed and shaped humanitarian programming of UNHCR and partners in 2021 and helped in identifying gaps and priority interventions. UNHCR further held bi-weekly virtual COVID-19 meetings with its implementing partners to exchange information about people of concern and on challenges related to implementation of activities.
UNHCR remained an active member of the UN country team (UNCT) in Egypt and the Security Management Team. The agency contributed to the 2020 UN monitoring framework for the immediate response to the socio-economic impacts of COVID-19 (SERP) and the UN country team Preparedness and Response Plan (CPRP) for COVID-19. Within the United Nations Partnership Development Framework (UNPDF), UNHCR continued to work with development partners in advancing both humanitarian and resilience components of protection. Within the Egypt UNCT, UNHCR continued to co-chair with IOM the Mixed Migration Working Group.
With the outbreak of COVID-19, UNHCR worked very closely with the UN Resident Coordinator (UNRC), IOM and the UNCT to promote the social inclusion of the most vulnerable among the group of 5 to 6 million refugees and migrants with the possible support of development donors in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and LNOB (Leave No One Behind). These efforts led to the submission of a proposal by the UNRC in November 2020 for the establishment of a joint platform on refugees and migrants with the UNCT and concerned Egyptian institutions, serving as a forum dedicated to dialogue and cooperation on issues related to refugees and migrants such as social inclusion and mobilization of support from development donors.
In October 2020, UNHCR and MoFA launched the Egypt chapter of the Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan in Response to the Syria Crisis (3RP) 2020-2021 as well as the Egypt Response Plan for Refugees and Asylum-Seekers from Sub-Saharan Africa, Iraq and Yemen (ERP). In 2020, the funding level of the Egypt chapter of the 3RP was 38.5%, while the 2020 ERP received 48% of the appealed budget. Underfunding was particularly evident in the sectors of health, education, and cash assistance.