IOM is organizing a five-day training course for junior Egyptian
diplomats to further their understanding of international
migration.

The course, which starts today, is split over two weeks and
takes place at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Cairo. It will
focus on recent trends and ongoing debates on both regular and
irregular migration and on Egypt's role in the global migration
debate.  

It will include sessions on international migration law and on
major migration issues such as links between international
migration and development.

As a country of origin, transit and destination, migration in
Egypt plays a crucial role in its socio-economic development.
However, proper migration management is clearly necessary to
realize its potential benefit and minimize any adverse impacts.

According to Egyptian government statistics, some 3.9 million
Egyptian nationals were living abroad in 2006. An estimated 1.9
million Egyptian migrants represent the largest non-Gulf Arab
community in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.

According to the Egyptian Central Agency for Public Mobilization
and Statistics (CAPMAS), the United States hosts the largest number
of Egyptians in a non-Arab state with about 318,000 people there.
Canada with 110,000 Egyptians, Italy (90,000) and Australia
(70,000) follow suit.

Migrants' remittances are one of the largest sources of foreign
currency for Egypt, along with Suez Canal transit-fees and tourism.
In 2007, Egyptian workers' remittances amounted to USD 5.9 billion,
making Egypt the main receiver of remittances in the Middle East.
The important volume of migrants' remittances impacts positively
socio-economic development at both macro and micro levels.

For more information please contact:

Mathieu Luciano

IOM Cairo

Tel: +202 2399 91 02

E-mail: "mailto:mluciano@iom.int">mluciano@iom.int