Egypt PM reviews assessment of economic costs linked to refugees, migrants
Madbouly met with the Minister of Social Solidarity, Maya Morsy, on Sunday to discuss the details of quantifying the economic impact, according to a statement from the Cabinet.
Mohamed El-Homsani, the official spokesperson for the Cabinet, said that the meeting addressed estimates of the total costs incurred by the state in providing care for foreign residents, including refugees and migrants.
The review included services provided to refugees and migrants across various sectors, as well as the costs of supporting health infrastructure necessary for delivering medical services and other forms of healthcare, El-Homsani added.
Morsy stressed the importance that the ministry places on the issue of refugees, migrants and immigrants, citing their impact on economic and social aspects.
Morsy noted that estimating the costs of hosting refugees, migrants, and immigrants is undertaken for several reasons. These include supporting informed decision-making for policymakers and using the estimates as guidance.
Egypt hosts more than 10 million migrants, refugees and asylum seekers. Those people enjoy all public services, such as health and education, on equal footing with Egyptian citizens
Evaluating the costs provides a basis for understanding the economic, social, and environmental impacts of refugees, migrants, and immigrants on Egypt's progress on national and international indicators, Morsy said. She added that estimating these costs contributes to developing policies that form a basis and reference for allocating and directing support to Egypt's efforts in hosting refugees and migrants.
Morsy confirmed that there is cooperation with United Nations organisations to assess the economic costs borne by the Egyptian state for the number of refugees and migrants residing in Egypt. She added that there is agreement on the standards used by all ministries and government entities for calculating these costs.
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