The Ministerial Conference on “Belonging and Legal Identity” concluded last week in Tunis in the presence of the member states of the جامعة الدول العربية - League of Arab States (LAS). By hosting this event - the first of its kind in the region - UNHCR and LAS contributed to supporting and strengthening protection measures for stateless persons, and developing concrete solutions to prevent and reduce the statelessness risks in the region. At the conclusion of this Ministerial Conference, Member States adopted the Arab Declaration on "Belonging and Legal Identity", which shows their shared commitment to enhancing the protection of individuals in the region through the strengthening of civil registration and citizenship systems, with particular attention to individuals at risk including refugees. “Longstanding traditions in the Arab Region recognize all rights of children to belong to enjoy their rights to family life, unity, and to have a name, a legal identity and a nationality. UNHCR and LAS brought together all relevant sectors to uphold these principles to safeguard the future of refugee children and strengthen the access of refugee women to nationality rights,” said Karim Atassi, UNHCR Egypt Representative. The event was organized by UNHCR, LAS and the Republic of Tunisia, under the patronage of His Excellency the President of the Republic of Tunisia, Mr. Béji Caid Essebsi.

The Syrian Sports Academy, which is a community based initiative that was recently founded in Alexandria and supported by UNHCR through its partner Caritas, hosted the first Arab Tournament for Football. The kick-off was on 9 August where 120 athletes formed 12 teams from Syria, Egypt, Iraq, Libya, Sudan and South Sudan participated in the tournament which was held with high sportsmanship. The league was held under the theme “Youth United Abroad”.

The Syrian community schools in Egypt celebrated the Arab Teacher’s Day at the Misr University for Science and Technology (MUST) Opera House. The event was organized by Syria El Ghad educational committee. Many of the organizations working with Syrian refugees in Egypt attended the celebration, including UNHCR, Stars St. Andrews, PSTIC, among others. Syrian children from different community schools across Egypt showcased a variety of theatrical and singing performances.

The Verification process of the Syrian population has been on going with full speed in order to verify their presence in the country.

The WRD day 2015 event included the launch of the UNHCR Egypt donate page.

The current protection environment remains unstable. Large numbers of refugees have expressed concern for their wellbeing, depleting food rations and savings.

The first round of anti-polio campaign took place from 19 to 22 April 2015. Around 15,469,098 children under 5 were vaccinated during the campaign both from the host and refugee communities.

The opening of “Hoosh Yegam’ana – Child and Community Friendly Spaces” in New Damietta Central Park was celebrated by UNHCR,Terre Des Homme and O’ecumene Studio

The second edition of “Heya” Campaign will kick off at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina - مكتبة الاسكندرية to celebrate The International Women’s Day. The event will take place on 12-14 March at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina Conference Center (BACC) with UNHCR Egypt's participation. Heya campaign aims at focusing on the irreplaceable role of women in the Egyptian society, and at tackling women empowerment in three main fields: leadership, health and arts this through various activities, workshops, and lectures. Three refugees will be speaking at the closing event to share their experiences in Egypt: their adversities, their resilience and their hopes. Refugees and asylum-seekers will also be performing a play and other musical acts which focuses on women issues particularly pertaining to refugees. The campaign is organized in partnership with UNHCR, The Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport (AASTMT), Alexandria Volunteers for Awareness and Development Club (AVAD), Fund for Drug Control and Treatment of Addiction (FDCTA), Bibliotheca Alexandrina Friends Association, VI Markets, Injaz Egypt, Egyptian Banking Institute and others.

The soft rock Egyptian band Wust El Balad performed during the event, revealing the title of their upcoming song ‘Ahlan’ dedicated to the refugee cause across the MENA region, along with Egyptian jazz entertainer Ahmed Harfoush who dedicated his performance to refugees around the world.