President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi issued his 72nd decree of 2017 in Egypt’s Official Gazette on Thursday, approving a grant of $15 million to support Syrian refugees in Egypt.
The grant was initially agreed between the Egyptian government and the Kuwaiti Fund for Arab Economic Development in 2016. The figure of $15 million seeks to address the needs of refugees in Egyptian host communities, aiding with their health costs, providing municipal services, and undertaking sewage projects.
According to a October 2017 report from UNHCR Egypt, 126,000 registered Syrians reside in Egypt, mainly concentrated in Cairo, 6th October City, Giza, Alexandria, and Qalyubia.
However, the large number of Syrians in the country is not merely a burden on services. A recent report from the United Nations Development Fund (UNDP) titled ‘Jobs Make the Difference’ revealed that Syrian refugees have invested nearly $800 million into Egypt since the beginning of the Syrian crisis.
The money invested will increase, according to UNDP, if host countries and regions apply the recommendations of the report.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
