Syrians remained the largest refugee group in Egypt, constituting 50% of the total refugee and asylum-seeking population. By December 2021, a total of 136,700 Syrians were registered with UNHCR, with registration services provided to 82,870 Syrians (6,300 new registration and 76,570 continuous registration interviews). Counselling activities and simplified counselling interviews were expanded to the daily reception of Syrians in the Zamalek Office, with a 630 % increase in the volume of counselling and reception activities for Syrians in 2021 (710 people), compared to 2020 (100 people).
In 2021, UNHCR provided emergency shelter assistance through its partners (Terre des Hommes/Psycho-Social Services and Training Institute in Cairo) to 2,200 Syrian refugees facing urgent protection risks of their life and physical security in need of relocation.
Response to incidents of arrest and deportation of Syrians has been a key priority in 2021, with a total of 370 Syrians arrested and released following UNHCR’s intervention, out of which 190 were registered with UNHCR.
Resettlement remained the only available durable solution for Syrian refugees. In 2021, approximately 1,000 Syrians were submitted for resettlement to nine countries and 1,040 Syrian departed to eight resettlement countries, compared to 350 Syrian refugees in 2020. Support for voluntary repatriation for Syrians remained unavailable in 2021. Intention surveys conducted in February 2021 indicated that 90% of Syrians would not consider returning in the next 12 months.
Ten years since the start of the Syrian crisis and the arrival of Syrian refugees in Egypt, their inclusion in national systems remained a key priority for the Office. UNHCR advocated with relevant authorities for inclusion of people of concern in national child protection and gender-based violence systems, while UNHCR and partners continued to assist Syrian children and gender-based violence survivors with case management.
In 2021, 55 Syrian community representatives and 90 Syrian youth benefitted from activities aimed at promoting social cohesion and strengthening community structures. Moreover, 43 Syrian youth enrolled in computer literacy courses to enhance livelihood opportunities, while 3,300 Syrians with specific needs were supported. The Info-Line services became an important communication tool during the pandemic, with almost 290,000 inquiries attended to in 2021.
The operation successfully advocated with Ministry of Education and Technical Education for the enrolment in Egyptian public schools of Syrian refugee children lacking valid residency permits and updated UNHCR documentation. This allowed the operation to support 50,900 refuge school age children to enroll in public, private and community schools through the education grant modality, of which 26,400 from Syria.
In 2021, Syrians benefited from 8,770 primary healthcare consultations, 94 new family files were created, and 18,960 Syrian refugees were reached by community health-care workers through phone calls and/or home visits. UNHCR partners provided 40,000 primary health consultations to Syrian refugees, including 35,440 consultations to 5,880 Syrian chronic patients, and 1,800 mental health consultations. Also, UNHCR supported Syrian refugees through 3,120 secondary and tertiary health care referrals, including in 586 lifesaving emergency cases. A total of 240 antenatal care visits were provided to women with complicated pregnancies and 220 obstetric care services were supported by UNHCR partners.
Some 6,760 Syrian refugee families received monthly cash assistance from UNHCR in 2021, enabling them to pay for basic needs. A total of 860 families (2,900 individuals) were newly incorporated in the regular cash assistance programme, including 320 female-headed households.
Livelihood support for Syrians was provided in the areas of employment and skills development. In 2021, 320 Syrians were supported to establish and/or enlarge their businesses, while 90 were placed in jobs, 630 received livelihood training and 1570 provided guidance on labour market opportunities.