How Egypt’s takeover of UNHCR asylum claims will impact vulnerable refugees

Emma Pieters

Feb 26, 2024

People who fled war-torn Sudan wait at a railway station in the Egyptian city of Aswan on April 28, 2023. — AFP via Getty Images

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The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has been processing asylum claims and granting refugee status on behalf of the Egyptian government since 1954. But according to several sources, this is about to change.

Refugees and their advocates expressed concern that the shift could complicate an already arduous process, and put high profile and LGBTQ+ refugees at particular risk.

In June 2023, the Egyptian cabinet approved the draft of a “refugee law.” As a statement by the Egyptian government disclosed at the time, this draft proposes the establishment of a permanent committee for refugee affairs, a legal body that is to take over control of refugee affairs from UNHCR.

Since the approval of this refugee law draft, little information has been published on its progress. Few people have seen its specific contents, leaving many uncertain about its implications.