Eighteen students, in their third and fourth grades, at the Alexandria International Academy - AIA had the opportunity to learn about refugees and their situation in Egypt through a school initiative. The nine and ten-year olds attended a two-hour presentation by UNHCR on 4 December, where they discussed different topics relating to refugees. This included looking at who is a refugee, reasons refugees flee their countries of origin, what UNHCR and its partners provide in terms of services and assistance, and means of assisting refugees in Egypt.

UNHCR, in collaboration with the League of Arab States and Arab Interior Ministers Council organized a three-day capacity building training on 13-15 December for officials at the directorates’ level, whose work entails the review, follow-up and application of laws and policies relating to statelessness and nationality issues. The training was part of the Regional Capacity Building sessions, undertaken jointly by UNHCR and the League of Arab States

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 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.

On the eve of World Refugee Day 2017, UNHCR Egypt hosted a major film event at the Zamalek Cinema, under the theme "Refugee Voices in Film. Guests showedtheir support to the refugee cause by signing the #WithRefugees and sharing messages about #RefugeeDay on social media. UNHCR Egypt was supported by Arab Cinema Center

On 18 June UNHCR Egypt in cooperation with the Bibliotheca Alexandrina and the Egyptian Association of Friends of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, launched the "BigRead" program The three months program aims at bringing together local cultural institutions and citizens and forging partnerships among several stakeholders (e.g. Alexandria University, young artists, social clubs, cultural centers, etc.) to enrich cultural dialogue. It includes a series of writing competitions and theatre workshops, during which famous novels will be turned into scripts, and participants get to act the plays at the final event in September. The program allows talented refugees and asylum seekers to participate in the various activities, perform and be part of the cultural life in Alexandria. A "Think and Express" workshop for people with hearing and speaking difficulties will also be part of the program.

UNHCR supplied 2 Mammogram equipment to MOH public hospitals in Alexandria according to the MOU between the MOH and UNHCR. Undersecretary of MOH in Alexandria Dr. Magdy Hegazy announced that the training of doctors and technicians at the hospital will begin in a few days in order could start receiving women who wish to perform an early breast cancer detection examination.

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.

For the second year in a row, UNHCR, Alexandria Regional Centre For Women's Health and Development and Caritas Alexandria Egypt jointly organized a bazaar for 30 groups of refugee and Egyptian women. This initiative is a part of finding new ways to assist and empower women to earn their livelihoods. The bazaar was also a good opportunity to raise awareness about the refugee situation in Egypt.

UNHCR, in collaboration with the Arab Women Organization, the League of Arab States and UN Women, are convening a conference in Cairo from today, 3rd May to 5th of May, on Refugee Women's Protection: "Current Responses and Future Prospects" in the Arab region.