Egypt - This week IOM moved the last of nearly 600 refugees – half of them Syrian – from Egypt to Germany as part of the country’s Humanitarian Admissions Programme (HAP).

HAP is designed to enable the swift entry of refugees to Germany to secure their immediate protection until such time as they are able to return home in safety and dignity or find other durable solutions.

The German government identified an urgent need for the admission on humanitarian grounds of 299 Syrians and another 300 refugees, including Sudanese, Somali, Palestinians, Eritreans, Ethiopians and Iraqis, who were granted temporary residence permits upon arrival under the German resettlement program.

As part of the USD 1 million operation, funded by Germany, IOM provided health assessments, cultural orientation and logistics, and organized four charter flights. IOM staff and representatives of the German Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) accompanied the flights.

“This was all made possible through the excellent cooperation of the Egyptian authorities, the German Government and UNHCR,” said IOM Egypt Head of Office Amr Taha.

“IOM and UNHCR significantly contributed to our mission with their kind cooperation, their professional attitudes to the challenges we faced and at times also with their patience,” BAMF’s Guido Schroeder and Bastian Rais added.

For further information, please contact Amr Taha at IOM Egypt, Tel: +2.02.273.65.140, Email: iomcairo@iom.int